Fighting for Love
by Sven the Bounder
Summary: Chapter 21 up Peregrin and Meriadoc are stuck in captivity, with no clue how they got there. Then, Merry falls in love...but so does Pippin. What will Pippin do, when he knows he wants what he can't have? Non-slash Please review!
1. Chapter 1 They Call Me Pippin

Disclaimer: My brain doesn't process things fast enough to write such a masterpiece as LotR. Bummer.  
  
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Peregrin Took woke with a start. He went to look around, but could not. Something was holding him to the spot. His eyes darted about the pitch black surrounding him. As far as he could tell, there was no one else around. Alone. . .he hated being alone. He had never liked being alone, not since he was just a tiny Hobbit. It was too quiet when he was alone. Quiet reminded him of fear, and that was not something he wanted to think about.  
  
Fear. Just thinking about it made his heart pound faster and faster. No good could come out of being afraid, no good at all. He could not allow himself to be afraid. If he was afraid, then anyone could control him. He would have no strength to stand up for himself. He knew it was true; it had happened before. But how could he not be afraid now? It was pitch black, he was being held to the spot, and as far as he knew he was completely alone.  
  
Peregrin moved his mouth to try to call out. He tasted cloth. . .there was a gag in his mouth. Now he began to panic. Why was he bound and gagged? His eyes caught a faint light in front of him a few feet, like someone had lit a small match and was shielding it with their hand. He relaxed a bit; at least someone was nearby. Although, he had no way of knowing who.  
  
Around two hours passed of Peregrin sitting in silence and darkness, trying to think of how he could free himself. He wasn't even sure if it was a smart idea to free himself, but would a kind person bound and gag a Hobbit for no reason? Finally deciding that perhaps it was best to wait until morning, he relaxed in his bonds, only to find that his hands could slide around behind his back. Seeing this as an advantage, he rolled over onto his other side and felt along the ground with his right hand.  
  
A sharp pain passed through one of his fingers as it found a sharp rock.  
  
'Perfect,' he thought. Scooting closer to it, he began to quietly drag whatever held his wrists together over the edge of the rock. Another match was lit, except brighter, and behind him. Peregrin froze, hoping that it was not enough light for anyone to see him in.  
  
A rough hand reached down and lifted him up off of the ground about a foot by his hair. He cringed, wanting to cry out, but couldn't because of the gag.  
  
"Tryin' to escape, are we?" a gruff voice hissed in his ear. Peregrin tried to wrench his head around to see who was speaking, but whoever it was shook him violently for a second. He froze again, hoping that it was all a dream. It couldn't really be happening. How could it if he didn't even remember how he had gotten there?  
  
The person dropped him back onto the ground. "Lousy Hobbits." Peregrin wanted to run away, but he obviously couldn't. He could feel tears forming in his eyes in desperation, but blinked them away. Although he was trembling with fear on the inside, perhaps if he looked brave on the outside, whoever was there would leave him alone to wait for morning.  
  
* * *  
  
The sun rose slowly over the horizon, filtering through the branches of the trees, and soon lit up the small alcove, where Peregrin lay waiting for light. His eyes flickered open, and he gasped softly when he saw his cousin, Meriadoc Brandybuck, lying a few feet from him. There was a large gash in his right cheek. Peregrin, forgetting about the gag, tried to shout to him.  
  
A large, cruel-looking man looked over. Peregrin's eyes locked with his, the young Hobbit now realizing his mistake. The man walked over and swiftly kicked him in the gut. Peregrin once again tried to swallow a cry, not that he could cry out anyway.  
  
"Keep it down, ya filthy urchin," he growled. Another person appeared, a girl, dropping a bunch of firewood on the ground. She went over and pulled the man away from Peregrin. The girl looked a bit calmer and gentler than the other.  
  
"Leave him alone, Byrn," she said. The rough man sulked away, and the girl leaned down closer to Peregrin. The Hobbit cringed away, afraid of what the she might do. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
Hesitating, Peregrin sat up a little. She untied the gag. Fresh air filled the Hobbit's mouth and lungs. It felt good to have the gag out. He somehow managed out a thank you in between deep breaths. The girl smiled and went over to Meriadoc. Peregrin watched her closely, making sure she wouldn't hurt his cousin, although it seemed clear that she had no intention of hurting anyone.  
  
Leaning over the unconscious Hobbit, the girl took out a flask of water and a cloth. Pouring some water on the cloth, she began dabbing Meriadoc's wound with it. Peregrin flinched, thinking about how much it might hurt if his friend were conscious.  
  
"Careful," Peregrin said softly, his voice hoarse. The girl looked up at him. "Ehm. . .well, you don't want to hurt him." She laughed quietly.  
  
"Don't worry, Hobbit," she replied. "I know what I'm doing." She looked back to Meriadoc.  
  
"Pippin."  
  
"What?" Her attention returned to the conscious Hobbit.  
  
He stopped, almost not answering. It had been a reflex to blurt out his name. "P-Pippin. . .they call me Pippin."  
  
"And they call me Iris, but you don't see me announcing it to perfect strangers." She gave him a sly grin. "Now, if you please, I need to heal your friend's wounds so that they don't get infected." With that, Iris' attention returned to Meriadoc's wound.  
  
After about fifteen minutes, she stood and, wiping her hands on her worn brown trousers, began to go over to where the man was cooking something over the fire. "Wait," Pippin said quickly. "I was wondering. . .perhaps you could help me with something?"  
  
"What is it?" Iris asked, going to him.  
  
"Well. . .it's just, I don't remember how I got here or where I am," Pippin explained.  
  
She sighed, sitting beside him. "I am not sure if it is my place to tell you. If you do not remember, perhaps it is for the best." Pippin of course wondered what she meant, but did not question her on it. She clearly did not think he should know. . .whatever it was. Merry stirred. The two looked to him, as he groaned and opened his eyes, looking around. His eyes rested on Pippin and Iris.  
  
"Pip?" he said softly. Iris said nothing to him, just glanced at Pippin, then stood and went to her companion. Pippin scooted quickly over next to his cousin, smiling happily.  
  
"Merry! Bless you, you're awake!" he cried.  
  
"Pip, what's going on?"  
  
"I've been wondering that myself for quite some time," said Pippin. "I don't know where we are. . .or how we got here. It's strange, Merry, and I want to go home."  
  
"Well, without knowing where we are, that seems rather impossible," Merry told him. He was silent a moment, looking away from his younger cousin, deep in thought. After a moment, he gaze returned to meet Pippin's. "You sure you don't remember anything?"  
  
Pippin thought a moment. His memory was blurred; no clear thoughts came to him. He almost remembered the cold of water, as if from a stream, on his feet, and pain, as if a blade was thrust through his shoulder. However, he shook his head. "No. . .no, I don't remember anything."  
  
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A/N: Yes, rather short, I know. I'm not very good at first chapters. I hope you'll review with CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, if you please. Plot will build later on, so keep reading! 


	2. Chapter 2 You Ain't Never Goin' Home

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter, however short. Well, on with the second!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own LotR, never have, never will. . .and I shouldn't keep reminding myself. . .  
  
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After they had been fed, Merry and Pippin were made to stand up, but were not gagged again. Iris had somehow managed to persuade Byrn, who was much larger than she, to allow them to be able to speak to one another. Byrn, who was not exactly the smartest person either of the Hobbits had seen anyway, gave in. The thought of them plotting an escape was only a faint thought that crossed his mind.  
  
After everything had been packed up, and the fire put out, and all traces of their camp were gone, the four began a long, tiresome trek through the forest. Pippin, who had some knowledge of the forests near Buckland, did not recognize any of the trees or the land. It was clear that Merry did not, either, for his brow remained furrowed in some silent frustration as they walked. Young Pippin had never seen his cousin so silent or serious before. It was rather strange to him.  
  
"Merry?" Pippin whispered at length, and a bit tentatively, not wanting to break Merry's train of thought. Merry looked over at him, not saying anything in reply. Pippin continued, "Shouldn't we try to escape or something? I mean, they didn't tie us up, save our wrists."  
  
"No," Merry said rather quickly, glancing at Iris and Byrn for a moment. "We don't even know where we are, Pip. If we try to escape, and succeed, we'd most likely die out in the Wild after wandering around with no food. Besides. . .those two aren't so bad."  
  
"What do you mean?" Pippin asked. "They bound and gagged us! You have a giant gash from who knows what, and that man isn't exactly the kindest fellow I've ever met. That's not so bad?"  
  
Merry glared at Pippin. "No, it's not."  
  
Pippin fell silent then, not wanting to upset Merry any more than he already had. Just then, Iris fell behind from Byrn and went to walk next to Merry. Pippin gazed at her for a moment as the two walked ahead of him a bit, so that they were in between Byrn and Pippin. They looked happy as they talked and laughed, which made something in the pit of Pippin's stomach turn. He was not sure what it was, but it wasn't a good feeling.  
  
* * *  
  
The group did not stop at all until the sun sank behind the tops of the trees. They continued in the light darkness for a bit until they came upon a clearing, where Byrn and Iris immediately set to work building a fire. Merry and Pippin sat side by side on the outskirts of the clearing. Both were silent for a time, Pippin stealing glances at him, which he noted with a slightly amused grin.  
  
"Something to ask me, Pip?" he inquired finally.  
  
Pippin started at the sudden question. "Well. . .yes. What were you and Iris talking about earlier? While we were walking?"  
  
Merry shrugged. "Just things about the Shire and her home. . .and a bit about you."  
  
"She wanted to know about me?" Pippin said, looking to his cousin curiously.  
  
"Mmm. . .a little," Merry replied slyly. "Just stuff about where you live in the Shire, your family, and. . .well, I told her some stuff from when you were younger."  
  
"You didn't!" Pippin cried, keeping his voice as low as possible. "You didn't tell her about. . .?"  
  
Merry grinned. Pippin groaned. "How could you do that, Merry? She didn't have to know about the time that I escaped from Mum during a bath and ran around Tuckborough completely naked until she finally caught me stealing a carrot in Farmer Maggot's field!"  
  
Trying to surpress a laugh, Merry turned to look at Pippin, who didn't understand how it was funny at all. Pippin glared at his cousin, until Merry pointed behind him. Pippin turned to face Iris, who was also choking back a laugh.  
  
"I didn't have to know," she said, "but now I do." Pippin's face turned a bright, scarlet red color as she turned and walked away. He turned back to Merry.  
  
"Once I get these bonds off, I'm going to kill you," he said very seriously, to which Merry responded with an outburst of laughter.  
  
* * *  
  
The following week or so went pretty much the same, with the exception of course of the embarrassing Pippin stories. Merry and Iris spent a lot of their time together, which didn't exactly please Pippin, but he felt it better not to complain. He could see that Merry clearly liked her very much, and he wasn't the kind of Hobbit who would stand in the way of that.  
  
In fact, while Merry was off gallivanting with Iris, Pippin really had no choice but to try and befriend Byrn. This was a very hard thing to do, as Byrn wasn't very friendly towards Hobbits. But, still, Pippin tried to bridge the gap by helping him make a fire or pack up the camp. Iris had convinced the burly man the day after Pippin's embarrassing moment to allow the Hobbits to roam freely, without any bonds. Pippin had tried to kill Merry, in good fun, but that was one of the last times Pippin and Merry had spoken at length with each other in quite a few days.  
  
"Ehm. . .Byrn?" Pippin asked tentatively, the large man digging through one of his packs. Byrn grunted to acknowledge the Hobbit's prescence. "Ehm. . .is there anything I can help you with?"  
  
Byrn looked over at him. "Why do you insist on helping me with everything?"  
  
"Well. . .I have no one to talk to anymore, really," Pippin explained. "I thought maybe you and I could, I don't know, become sort of. . .temporary friends. . .until I go home, that is."  
  
"You ain't never goin' home," Byrn said raspily, chuckling to himself. "Not while I have anythin' to say about it."  
  
"I can't possibly stay out here in the Wild for the rest of my days!" Pippin cried. "It's far too dark and dreary out here, not to mention very unfamiliar. I want to go home, to my family and friends. It's beautiful in the Shire, you know. Simply beautiful. And I miss it."  
  
"I miss my home, too, Hobbit, but y'don't see me complainin' about it," Byrn replied, turning back to what he was doing. Pippin sat himself down, now very curious and not feeling quite so uneasy around Byrn. . .even if the man didn't seem to like him all that much.  
  
"Where do you come from?"  
  
"I come from a land called Rohan. It's farther East from 'ere, near Gondor 'n Minas Tirith. Suppose you dunno where that is, but it's nice 'nough a place to live. Perhaps not as 'beautiful' as yer Shire might be, but I 'ave no complaints."  
  
"Why did you leave?" Pippin asked curiously, always eager to learn about other lands in Middle Earth.  
  
"Y'make it sound like I jus' up an' left one day. Naw, I was planning on bein' a Ranger when I was jus' a boy. Then, I met Iris' mum, an' when Iris came, I knew that it wouldn' be a very good life fer a young girl like 'er. When 'er mum died, I s'pose the decision I made was rather selfish, but I took Iris an' I made plans an' we left for Bree. The trip took us a good month or so, an' when I arrived. . .things 'appened."  
  
Pippin nodded, not completely understanding, but thinking that it would be best not to ask too much of Byrn's past at once. He looked to the pack that the man was still digging through. "Do you need my help with anything?"  
  
Byrn sighed irritably. "No, Hobbit. . .er. . ."  
  
"Pippin."  
  
"Tha's it, Pippin. Naw, Pippin, I'm doin' jus' fine on my own. Uhm. . .you can. . .go gather firewood. I'll be buildin' a campfire in a moment." Pippin smiled, getting up, happy to be needed for something. He hurried off into the forest to gather wood. He was doing wonderfully, too, until he spotted Merry and Iris sitting together against a large oak, talking quietly. Pippin snuck over almost silently and stood behind the tree, listening.  
  
". . .it's just sort of strange," Merry was saying. "I mean, Pip is my best friend and my cousin, but it just seems like we're sort of changing, becoming further apart than closer. I guess I'm sort of glad that I found you to get to know."  
  
Iris laughed softly. "Well, I think that maybe you should try to either maintain or regain that friendship with Pippin. He seems like a very kind young lad, and I can see how the two of you would be such good friends. You must have been very close to him to be friends for so long."  
  
"I'm surprised that he hasn't dropped me for some lass by now," Merry laughed. "He's always doing odd things, like hanging around the Green Dragon, talking to the ladies, or getting drunk, or he'll come up with some silly scheme to steal crops from Farmer Maggot."  
  
"And then there are those occasional flashings of the neighborhood when he escapes his bath," Iris joked. The two laughed happily, but behind the tree, Pippin's ears burned in embarrassment. Merry had no right to talk behind his back that way, especially not to Iris, whom either of them barely even knew. Turning away angrily, he stalked off to the camp site, completely forgetting the firewood.  
  
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Yay for another chapter! Another. . .rather short one. . .but, hey, it's off to a fairly good start by my standards. Please review, dancha! 


	3. Chapter 3 Was It Just a Dream?

A/N: Thanks everyone for your reviews! A lot of you have been asking for more of a lead up to why Merry and Pippin are there, so, in honor of all of you, I'm making this a. . . *cue spooky music* FLASHBACK CHAPTER!! Have fun, and don't forget to review when you're done! Wow, that rhymed. . .oh, and just FYI, this is going to be neither MarySue (I hope) nor slash. Just good ol' Hobbit-y fun!  
  
Disclaimer: Couldn't have thought THOSE books up. . .just this one. . .  
  
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"Come on, Merry, slow down!" Pippin groaned, trudging along tiredly after his cousin, who was energetically jogging through Farmer Maggot's cornfield, grasping a bunch of carrots and cabbages. Pippin, who also held some stolen goods, whined up to Merry again. "Merry! Wait for me!"  
  
"I'm not going to wait for you if you don't hurry up!" Merry shouted back.  
  
"Farmer Maggot gave up!" Pippin called. "We're fine! Just slow down! I'm tired and hungry!"  
  
"And you've got food in your hands!"  
  
Pippin stopped. "Good point." Sitting down, he pulled a carrot out of his pocket and began to munch happily. Merry, having noticed that Pippin had ceased to follow him at all, went back and glared down at him irritably.  
  
"Must you do this now?" he asked.  
  
Pippin chewed a bit, then with his mouth full, answered, "Shouldn't of reminded me about the food, my dear Merry."  
  
Sighing, but seeing no other alternative, Merry sat beside his friend and began to unload his "supplies". The two sat in the middle of the field eating a rather early Luncheon for about an hour before Merry finally gathered up his things again and stood.  
  
"All right, Pippin, you've had your way, so let's get going," he said. "It'll be getting dark soon, so we should probably head home."  
  
Pippin looked around nervously. He didn't like the dark. "Merry. . .could I stay with you in Buckland tonight? I don't want to walk home alone in the darkness."  
  
"If it'll make you come along, then yes, but we'll have to cross the Brandywine," Merry reminded him. "Which means going through the forest."  
  
Pippin didn't like the forest, either, to say the least. However, if he was going to be with someone, at least it would be a little bit better. So, off they were, through the remainder of Farmer Maggot's field and down a steep hill to a spot on the Road. They were now in the forest a little ways, surrounded on either side by old, towering trees. The Brandywine River was down the Road to the West, but at some point they had to cut through the forest to get to Buckleberry Ferry. The journey actually took about a day and a half if a Hobbit went along the Road, but cutting through the forest saved about a day's worth of traveling.  
  
Many sorts of creatures traveled through this part of the forest to get to the Grey Havens. Neither Pippin, Merry, nor any other Hobbit they knew for that matter had ever been there or even had an intimate conversation with any of the strangers who came along, so very little was known about that place. It was said that those who went there were leaving Middle Earth, but that was not something that Pippin could really believe. After all, Middle Earth was such a wonderful place to him. Of course, he had only ever seen the Shire, but that was a nice enough place that it seemed very reasonable to guess that all of Middle Earth was that way.  
  
As the two walked along silently, it began to rain. At first it was just a light shower, but then it started to fall heavier, and finally it was in a downpour. The Road became slippery and muddy, so that their feet stuck to the ground in spots and the mud mixed with the fur on their already dirty feet. It was hard to travel at a steady pace this way, so Merry waved Pippin to go over to stand beneath a large maple tree.  
  
"There's no way we'll get home before tomorrow," he said. "Not with the weather how it is."  
  
"Are you proposing that we spend the night in the forest?" Pippin cried over the rain, hoping that was not the case.  
  
To his relief, Merry shook his head. "No, but perhaps if we cut through the forest now, we can get back the time we lost from this storm." Without waiting for a reply from Pippin, he turned and began trudging through the dark forest. It was a bit dryer beneath the boughs of the trees, and warmer. Pippin was now very grateful that his cousin was such a quick thinker, otherwise they would probably still be sloshing through the mud and rain.  
  
"Merry, how far is it to Buckleberry Ferry from here?" Pippin questioned. Merry stopped. "What is it?"  
  
"I never thought about that," Merry said slowly. "This can't be good. . ."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well. . .I mean that I don't know how to get to Buckleberry Ferry from here. I can't get anywhere from here. I don't even know where 'here' is!" Pippin groaned loudly, flopping onto the ground with a thud. Merry looked over at him. "Oh, don't go to sleep now! We still have to figure out how to get home!"  
  
"You figure it out!" Pippin whined. "You got us into this mess."  
  
"Thank you for being so helpful and supportive, Pippin," said Merry scornfully. "Now would you get up and help me?"  
  
Reluctantly, Pippin hauled himself off of the ground again, brushing off his trousers before looking around carefully. "Why don't we just go back to the Road and keep going until we reach the spot where we cut across to the Ferry?"  
  
"In other words, go back the way we came and take the regular route?" Pippin nodded, a grin appearing on his face. Merry scowled. "Don't you think I've already considered that? Look, if we go back and take the regular route, we won't reach the Ferry until probably tomorrow and then it'll take even longer to row that boat in the rain and quite frankly, unless you're willing to help me, which I doubt, that will be very tedious indeed."  
  
"I'm not that lazy, Merry, I'd help you row the boat," Pippin said quietly, but Merry was too deep in thought to pay attention. Pippin sighed. "Let's just keeping going until we find the Road from here and then go West to find the Ferry."  
  
Merry looked up. "That makes sense. Pip, you made sense!" Merry smiled and the two hurried on their way. It wasn't fifteen minutes before a loud cry rang out through the trees. It didn't sound very far away. Both of the Hobbits stopped instantly, looking around.  
  
"What do you suppose that was?" Pippin asked. "Do you think someone is in trouble?"  
  
"I. . .I dunno, Pip," Merry replied slowly, still looking around. "I think it came from the East. If someone is in trouble. . .should we go and take a look?"  
  
"I dunno, Mer," Pippin began. "I mean, we could get into a lot of trouble, couldn't we?"  
  
"Well, it all depends on who we find," Merry said. He gave Pippin a grave look. "It's up to you. We don't have to investigate."  
  
Pippin thought a moment. His Tookish instincts said, "Go! Be curious!", but his normal Hobbit instincts told him to keep away. However, he was never one to spoil an adventure, so he smiled and said, "Sure. I mean, someone's in trouble, right?"  
  
"Maybe." So the two set off now in a completely different direction, forgetting for the time that they were supposed to be going to Buckland. The ground seemed somehow more slippery in the West portion of the forest. The two Hobbits almost fell quite a few times, before finally reaching a small cleared section, where stood one tall Man and a shorter person, a girl. Lying on the ground before them was another Man, but he was very clearly dead. A large, red blotch covered the dead Man's stomach, and the living Man's hands were also covered in a red substance. Pippin swallowed a sick feeling in his throat as the realization came to him that it was blood.  
  
The two Hobbits stood, wide eyed, at the scene. Neither of them had ever seen anything like it before. Pippin glanced at Merry. The color had drained from his face as he stared down at the dead body. The girl lightly touched the man's arm. Something dropped to the ground. Pippin stared at the blade of a knife glinting back at him. All of a sudden, the man turned around to leave, stopping when he saw the Hobbits standing there. His eyes blazed in a sudden fury as he strode over and lifted Merry up by the collar. Pippin almost lunged at him, but as he started forward, he felt a blade against his throat. Looking to his right, he saw the girl standing there, smirking at him.  
  
"Going somewhere?" she asked. Pippin watched in horror as the man threw Merry aside. Merry crashed into a tree and fell to the ground, unconscious, and also acquiring a large gash in his right cheek from a sharp notch on the trunk. The man walked to him, lifting him up to be eye level.  
  
"Don't hurt me," Pippin whimpered pathetically.  
  
"What did you see?" the man demanded.  
  
"Nothin', I swear!" Pippin stammered. "We just heard someone yell and we came to see what happened! Honest!"  
  
The man set Pippin back down on the ground, and turned away. Pippin let out a breath of relief, before feeling a sharp, excruciating pain through his left shoulder, and then a pounding thud on the back of his head. Everything went dark. . . . . . . .  
  
* * *  
  
Pippin sat up in the darkness, breathing heavily. He frantically felt the back of his head. No pain. His hand went to his shoulder. His fingers immediately drew back as a sharp, quick pain passed through his shoulder. Was it a dream? 


	4. Chapter 4 A Thousand Knives

Natta: We will figure those things out. All in good time, my friends, all in good time. (  
  
Aelfgifu: Yes, Merry does remember. And. . .um. . .well, quite frankly, I don't really know what AU means, but if it means Alternate Universe (which I'm beginning to think it does) then, no, this is not AU. You can choose the time when it happened! I mean, where do anybody's fan fictions fit in? And I have read Nasty Hobbitsess, it's one of my many favorites! *lets out breath* Wow. . .lots of talkie-talkie. Now to writey-writey!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own LotR. End of story.  
  
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"Pippin, what is it?" Iris whispered, going to him, a small lantern in her hands. He was still sitting in shock from his dream. . .or whatever it was. He was breathing heavily, his right hand hovering above his left shoulder. Pippin didn't look to her right away, but his eyes stayed fixed on the ground in front of him. She studied his face in concern, waiting for him to reply. When no response came, she placed a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "Pippin? What's wrong?"  
  
Finally, his gaze traveled to meet hers, a confused gleam in his eyes. "I. . .I think it was a dream."  
  
"You think what was a dream?"  
  
Pippin opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. He tried to recall his dream, but by this time, most of it was gone from his mind. He sat, talking to himself almost inaudibly, trying to remember what he had dreamt about. It had to do with how he and Merry had gotten with Iris and Byrn, he knew, and he remembered walking through the forest, but other than that, nothing.  
  
"I. . .it was nothing," he said finally.  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"Yes." Iris smiled, a bit wearily, and stood to go back to sleep. Pippin's mouth opened, "Murder." Iris stopped in her tracks and turned back to face him. His face was pale, more than usual, and his hands were trembling now. However, she did not go back to him, simply stood staring at him.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
Pippin's gaze met hers again, and it impaled her like a knife. "I said murder."  
  
"Why would you say that?"  
  
"That's why I'm here, isn't it?" he questioned, the dream now filtering back into his mind. He didn't know what had made him remember, but as soon as Iris had stood to leave, the image of the man's body lying upon the ground had refocused in his head. True, his hands were shaking and all of the color was now gone from his face, but that he could not help. All he knew was that he was closer than before to figuring out what he was doing in the middle of the Wild, with no meaning or purpose for being there.  
  
"Pippin. . .you don't know why you are here, remember?" Iris stated.  
  
"But you do," Pippin returned. "And I think I do remember it now. You murdered someone. I know you did, I saw the man lying on the ground. He was dead. And Byrn. . ." Pippin's gaze left the girl and traveled to a heap on the ground some twenty feet away. ". . .he had a knife in his hands."  
  
Iris was silent for amoment. Then, she said softly, "You don't know what you're talking about." Suddenly, Pippin jumped up, grabbing her by the wrist with one hand, by the collar with the other.  
  
"Tell me why I'm here!" he demanded angrily.  
  
Iris stared into his eyes, her own filled with fear. She winced in pain at the strong grasp he had on her wrist. "Pippin. . .I can't. . .I just can't. . ."  
  
"Tell me!!"  
  
"Pippin!" Pippin turned to see who had called his name, only to be greeted by a punch in the nose. He stumbled backwards in surprise, then looked up to see his attacker. It was Merry.  
  
"M-Merry? Wha--?" Pippin started.  
  
"What are you doing?" Merry questioned. "Have you gone mad?"  
  
Pippin stood up straight. "I want to know why I'm here! And she knows it, and is keeping it from me!"  
  
"You're not ready to know, Pip, it's just the way things are!" Merry said.  
  
"Merry! You know?"  
  
Merry hesitated, realizing his mistake. Then, seeing no other alternative, he nodded slowly. Pippin's eyes grew wide in anger. In a sudden fury, Pippin ran, pushing Merry out of the way, and into the forest. Merry and Iris hurried after him. Pippin ran in and out of trees, stopping in a less dense patch of trees. He hid behind one, knowing that Merry and Iris were after him, waiting for them to come. It was silent for quite a few minutes, until the soft patter of footsteps reached his ears.  
  
"Pippin! Oi, Pippin! Come on, we don't have time for this!" came Merry's voice. "Pippin, I never meant to keep it from you! Come on, we have to go back to camp!"  
  
Pippin rushed out from behind the tree, a large stick in his hands. He swung at Merry, but his cousin caught it and turned it so that their faces were almost touching.  
  
"Pippin, come on," Merry said. "What's gotten into you?"  
  
"I want to know why I'm here and not at home!" Pippin demanded again.  
  
"Why do you think?"  
  
"Because Byrn and Iris murdered someone!"  
  
Merry did not reply, his eyes growing a bit wider than before. However, he did not lose his cool. Pushing Pippin backwards, he kept the stick in his hands, and threw it aside once Pippin had released it. Pippin, who was not at all pleased by this, ran at Merry and tackled him. Merry pushed the younger Hobbit off of him, and all of a sudden a low growl rang out around them. The two Hobbits stopped, both standing, as Iris pulled out a dagger.  
  
"Get back!" she ordered. They did as she said. Before them, a large, gruesome dog appeared, as if out of nowhere. Iris walked slowly in front of the two Hobbits. "Don't make any sudden moves," Iris said softly. "This is a warg. If you do, it might attack."  
  
Pippin could see in the creature's eyes that it clearly intended to attack no matter what they did. Without warning, the warg leapt into the air and almost onto Iris, but she raised the dagger, piercing its belly. With a loud yelp, the warg stumbled backwards, glaring angrily at Iris. With its last ounce of strength, the ugly creature swiped at her, leaving a large, deep gash in her stomach. She staggered a bit, before collapsing, unconscious, into Merry's arms. Pippin watched, wide eyed, as the warg also fell, dead.  
  
* * *  
  
When they had returned to camp, Byrn was no where to be found. While Pippin built a small fire, Merry lay Iris down on the few blankets that they had, covering her with his jacket. Pippin sat against a large boulder, watching this. Merry was so different to him. . .he did not like it. And this Iris girl. . .Pippin really didn't know what to say about her. She was brave, and kind, and very skilled. . .but that was not it. There was something else, he knew, it's just he didn't know what it was.  
  
* * *  
  
A day and a half later, Byrn had still not returned, and Merry had very rarely left Iris' side. Pippin thought many times about running away and going home, but he had not the heart to abandon his cousin in the middle of nowhere, not to mention he had no way of knowing which way home was. So he sat, tending to the fire, cooking food, and making sure that no more of those ugly warg things were on their way.  
  
Merry hardly ate or spoke anymore, and it worried Pippin to see his friend like this. Pippin could see the fear behind Merry's emotionless eyes; he knew that Merry feared for Iris' life. They had done the best they could to heal her, but, as Hobbits are not very renowned for healing, neither were sure if it had done any good.  
  
Pippin shifted in his spot, his gaze still on his cousin. Tears filled Merry's eyes, but it was clear that he was trying to suppress them. "Merry?" Pippin said hesitantly, not wanting to upset him.  
  
Merry jumped, glancing over at Pippin. "Yes?"  
  
"You. . .you don't have to stay by her all the time, you know. . .it won't help her wake up."  
  
Merry was silent for a moment. "I know, Pip. I know." Pippin stood, going to sit by his cousin.  
  
"I don't think you do," Pippin stated. "You haven't left her side since it happened, and that was almost two days ago!" Merry did not reply. Pippin continued, concern tingeing his voice, "What's wrong with you, Merry? You're acting very strange lately."  
  
Before either could say another word, Iris stirred and after a moment, her eyes flickered open. Pippin stood in surprise, watching as she sat up, her eyes sparkling as they met Merry's. She pulled him into a loving embrace, Pippin all the while backing up slowly, his gaze not moving from the two. After a few moments, Merry pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. He then moved closer, hesitating a moment, before his lips gently touched hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss.  
  
Pippin watched a moment, before sliding out of view behind the boulder and sinking to the ground in shock. He closed his eyes against the sick feeling now settling in his throat. He tried to put what he had just seen out of his mind, but it was far too difficult. He did not understand it, but for some unexplainable reason, he felt as if a thousand knives were piercing his heart. 


	5. Chapter 5 You Shouldn't Have Done That

HMP: Yes, Iris is human. However, there are two reasons why Pippin could reach both her wrist and her collar. First, Iris is not an adult. She's actually rather young, about twelve or thirteen, so she's probably only about 4'7 or 8". Also, as some people know (such as me because I'm such a hopeless Pippin-obsesser) Pip is rather tall for a Hobbit; he's around 4'6". And Merry's pretty close to that, too. So, there you go. And thanks for reviewing! (PS: I've never read The Hobbit, shameful I know, so I dunno who that bear guy is! lol)  
  
EVERYONE ELSE WHO REVIEWED: Thank you so much!! You are all my new best friends! I'm glad y'all enjoy my story!  
  
Disclaimer: Man, if I ever tried to write a story like LotR, Tolkien would turn over in his grave.  
  
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Pippin awoke the next morning to a rather nasty taste in his mouth. He remembered very little about the previous night, except that Iris had woken up. This made him happy, since Byrn was gone and they needed someone to protect them who knew the Wild well.  
  
Standing, he stretched and walked out from behind the rock, only to stop in his tracks. Iris and Merry were lying together on her makeshift bed, her covered by Merry's jacket, and Merry by his trousers and Iris' shirt. Merry had one arm around her shoulders, the other on her right arm, as she had her arms around him. It was clear that neither were wearing anything. Pippin blushed and quickly averted his eyes, walking off into the forest.  
  
'I can't believe you, Merry!' he thought angrily. 'Sleeping with a human girl! And one that kidnapped you, besides!'  
  
As he continued walking, not really paying attention to where he was going, his emotions changed from anger to jealousy. He didn't understand why he was jealous, all he knew was when he first saw Merry and Iris lying there together, he had subconsciously wished it were him in Merry's place.  
  
"What am I doing?" he asked himself. "I can't think about a human like that! Especially after she killed someone. . .and hurt me. . .and won't tell me the truth about anything! Why should I think about her like that? I mean, sure, she's kind and she's very brave and very skilled. . .and she's very beautiful, but she loves Merry, not me. She could never love someone like me. Not after the way I treated her."  
  
Pippin's feelings now went to pure sorrow. He regretted having been so mean to her. Just as he was thinking this, he stumbled over something and fell on his face. Groaning in irritation, he propped himself up on his forearms and looked to see what he had tripped over. It was one half of what looked like a large stick. Looking around, he spotted the other half nearby. He was back to the scene of his and Merry's brawl the other night. As his eyes continued to scan the small clearing, he noticed something that made his stomach turn: the warg was gone.  
  
'A body can't decompose in two days,' Pippin thought. 'Especially not one as big as that thing's was. . .but it was dead. . .I think.'  
  
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see who it was. It was Iris, now fully dressed. His breath caught in his throat, and his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. He averted his eyes from her.  
  
"H-Hello, Iris," he said softly.  
  
"Hello, Pippin," she replied cheerfully. "I. . .came to talk to you. . .about what happened the other night." Pippin was silent. "Look, I know you wish to figure out why you and Merry are in Byrn's captivity, but at the moment I am not at liberty to tell you."  
  
"Merry knows," Pippin said.  
  
"Yes, but Merry retained that knowledge on his own," Iris explained. She went to him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "You will learn in time, Pip. I promise, when the time comes, I will tell you. Do you trust me?" She held out her hand.  
  
Pippin looked up into her eyes, then nodded. "Yes. . .I trust you." He took her hand, shaking it.  
  
She smiled and pulled him to his feet. "That's good. I better get back to camp, Merry will be looking for me."  
  
She turned to go, but Pippin didn't release her hand. In a sudden impulse, he pulled her back to him, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her. It was an innate, impassioned kiss, and he was surprised to find that she didn't pull away, but rather he did. She looked straight into his eyes, backing up a little, removing the arm that was around her waist. In her own eyes was a look of foreboding.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that, Pippin," she said softly.  
  
Pippin glared, sort of angry that she was rejecting him. "And Merry shouldn't have slept with you."  
  
Iris turned pink, as at that moment Merry meandered cheerfully into the glade, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her neck. He looked up at Pippin grinning.  
  
"Good morning, Pip," he said. "Have a nice walk?"  
  
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A/N: Poor, oblivious Merry. Ah well. Please review this rather short, but important chapter. Danka! 


	6. Chapter 6 A Voice in the Wind

HMP: Yeah, so Iris is a little strumpet. Who cares? lol, just kidding. Well, back in those medieval type times, it wasn't that uncommon for young girls to get married and whatnot. I don't know. . .hey, you see weirder stuff out there. But I can see where you got confused! ^ ^  
  
Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah. . .it's all been done before. (yes, that *is* a Barenaked Ladies song, hehe)  
  
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Merry's smile faded as he looked back and forth between Iris and Pippin's grave faces. Their eyes were still locked together. "Have I missed something?"  
  
"No, Merry dear," Iris said quickly, not breaking her gaze with Pippin. "I'm going back to camp to start breakfast. After we eat, we should get going. Byrn or no Byrn, we have lost too many days not to cover any distance now that I can travel."  
  
With that, she removed Merry's arms from her waist and made her way back to camp. Merry stared after her, a dreamy look in his eyes. He sighed. "Isn't she lovely, Pip?"  
  
Pippin shrugged, his cheeks turning a bit pink. "I suppose. . .for a human."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"I just don't think that you should get so. . .involved with her. . .you know what I mean. She wouldn't fit in very well in the Shire, since she is a human and all."  
  
"Pippin, what are you talking about?"  
  
"When we go home." Silence. "Merry. . .we *are* going home. . .aren't we?"  
  
Merry was silent a moment. "I. . .I wouldn't count on it, Pip." Merry glanced at him sidelong, then turned and walked out of the grove, back towards camp. Pippin sighed, looking around once more and then hurried after him.  
  
* * *  
  
By midday, they had started on their journey once more, without Byrn. Merry and Iris walked together, of course, but it didn't bother Pippin very much today. He was too busy with his thoughts. Now that he actually considered it, he had no idea where they were going. He had always figured, or hoped rather, that Byrn and Iris were taking him and Merry back to the Shire. But it didn't seem to be so. . .  
  
But if not the Shire, then where were they going? Perhaps they were on their way to some country of Men, or Elves! The thought of going to an Elven city was a bit exciting, but Byrn didn't seem the type of fellow who would go to that sort of place. Pippin was almost sure that they were going to a Men city. . .and it made him quite curious. He had been told stories by his father of how unfriendly the "Big Folk" could be. . .but Iris wasn't at all unfriendly, and though she was only an inch or two taller than he and Merry, she still belonged to the race of Men.  
  
As he thought about her, she did have sort of an Elvish air about her. . .something magical. But she was in every way human. Her hair, her ears, everything was human. Yet, he couldn't help but notice the way the sunlight seemed to illuminate her skin, or how her sapphire eyes seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. . .but otherwise she was very much a mortal, human being.  
  
The trail seemed to linger on for years and years to him, and it soon became a tedious job simply to lift one foot and place it in front of the other. He was carrying a great deal of their supplies, and he hadn't been very happy with this idea in the first place.  
  
"Merry, I don't want to carry all of that stuff!" he had protested.  
  
"Iris can't do it, she's still recovering," Merry had explained. "And I have to help her, but I will carry some of it."  
  
Iris, Iris, Iris. . .it was all Merry spoke of anymore. Pippin was starting to get a bit frustrated with his cousin. If they ever did make it back home, surely he didn't expect that she could live in the Shire happily? Of course, Merry could always choose to go with her. . .but would he? Pippin, for one, would never do such a thing! The Shire was his home and always would be. . .but he had doubts that Merry now felt the same way.  
  
But the two thoughts that lingered in his mind above everything else was where the warg had gone and why he had done such a foolish thing as kiss Iris, and gotten mad when she rejected him. The warg was more bothersome than the kiss. . .at least there was a possible explaination for that: perhaps he, too, loved Iris? No, he didn't think he did. . .  
  
'I shouldn't worry about it,' he thought. 'She doesn't seem to have any intention of telling Merry, and as long as it never happens again, what harm can it do?'  
  
It still troubled him, however. Trying to fight it out of his mind, he focused his attention on the thought of the warg. Where could it have gone? Could it have still been alive, and wandered off after they left? It was possible, but not probable. Iris' dagger had struck it enough so that it wouldn't have lived for very long without care. With that in mind, maybe it had gotten up, wandered for awhile and then fallen. That was more logical than his first prediction.  
  
Thunder boomed overhead. Pippin stopped a second, peering up between the branches of the trees. The sky looked dark and bleak, almost as if at any moment the coal black clouds would burst and send a waterfall of rain down upon the three travelers. This made Pippin wonder about Byrn. Where could he have gotten to? Certainly he was capable of taking care of himself, but it didn't seem that he took anything with him, save his pack. And why would he just abandon his daughter and his captives like that? Pippin shook his head, peering up at the sky, and trotted to catch up with Merry and Iris.  
  
Now his legs felt ready to give at any second. He was far too weary to travel any more, but he couldn't stop now that it was nearing a storm. The air began to smell of rain, as well, warning them of the preparing downpour. Iris stopped suddenly.  
  
"We should find a place to make camp," she said.  
  
"'Tis about to rain, love," Merry said softly. Pippin's stomach turned as he called her "love".  
  
"I know, but we have traveled very far today," she explained. She glanced at Pippin. "I think our trusty steed could use some rest."  
  
Pippin scowled at being compared to a luggage-bearing animal. Merry chuckled. "Did you hear that, Pip? You're not just a mule, you're a steed!"  
  
"Don't I feel honored?" he grumbled in response. They continued walking for a bit, before coming across a fair shelter made of branches and leaves.  
  
'Obviously by some animal,' Pippin thought, looking it over a bit. He let the large pack fall from his shoulders and lay down. Ah. . .it felt good to be rid of that burden. Suddenly, something tickled his nose and he let out a sneeze. The others looked at him, before returning to the campfire they were building.  
  
* * *  
  
The sky darkened, the storm passed, and they had taken a light meal before settling themselves to sleep. Pippin soon drifted into a light slumber. The wind blew about him, chilling him deep down, so he pulled his cloak tighter around him. A light whisper blew in the wind. . .at least it sounded like a whisper.  
  
'Probably just the wind in the branches,' he thought, half-asleep.  
  
It came louder now. "Pippin. . ." It was very clear now. He opened his eyes immediately. "Pippin. . ." He shot up, looking around frantically. "Pippin. . ." No one was there, save Merry and Iris, who were both sound asleep. "Pippin." His heart began to pound. "Pippin!"  
  
"W-Who's there?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.  
  
"Pippin." The voice was getting softer.  
  
"What do you want?" he stammered.  
  
"Pippin. . ."  
  
Pippin was afraid to move. What if it attacked him. . .whatever it was? Who was out there?  
  
"Pippin. . ." Soon, the voice was just a faint whisper in his ear. Finally, the wind ceased, along with the voice. Pippin settled down a bit, still wondering what had happened. Laying down again, he shut his eyes tightly, and did not move until morning.  
  
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A/N: Muah ha ha. . .what's haunting poor Pip?? Review and I just might tell you. . .at the end! MUAH HA HA HA!!! Oh, and please, short advertisement, go and read my other story "In Dreams". It's a Fromance (tee hee) and it isn't doing very well for itself. . .but it was my first story and I liked it. Anyway, if you could *try* and take a look, please do! Dancha! 


	7. Chapter 7 Close to Home

Aelfgifu: Yeah, sure, she can be 15. . .a petite 15. Hey, as long as it makes sense.  
  
A/N: I went insane at school today. . .so if anything seems a bit *too* weird. . .that would be the reason. I knew I would crack one day. . .  
  
Disclaimer: Yes, I'm *also* a crazy LotR obsessor who wishes she owned the whole concept, but really doesn't so spends her spare time writing fanfiction instead! BAH!  
  
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The next morning, Pippin opened his eyes to see Merry by the fire, cooking breakfast. Iris was nowhere in sight. Pippin sat up, looking around. He hadn't gotten very much sleep, and it showed.  
  
"Morning, Pip, glad you're finally awake!" Merry greeted, then looked him over. "Or. . .just up I suppose. You don't look very rested to me."  
  
"I'm not," Pippin replied. "Merry. . .did you hear anything last night?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I dunno. . .a voice. Like, whispering, I suppose." Merry thought a moment then shook his head. He held out a small plate of food to his cousin.  
  
"You should eat," he said. "You need to get some strength for our walk today." Pippin took the plate and began to silently eat. Before long, Iris appeared again with a small bag of mushrooms in hand. As Pippin studied them, he realized that they were rather familiar. They looked like. . .he gasped. . .Shire mushrooms!  
  
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A/N: GAH HA HA HA!!! I'm sorry, but that sounded so funny. Ok, back to the story again. . .  
  
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"Iris? Where did you find those?" he asked, setting his plate down. She glanced at the bag, then at Merry. He shrugged, beginning to put out the campfire.  
  
"They're about a mile that way," she replied, pointing off into the trees. Before either of them could say another word, Pippin shot off in the direction she had pointed. Merry stood and they went after him.  
  
Pippin jumped excitedly through the trees, not caring as a passing branch scraped his face and leaving a light cut. He soon found himself running up a slope and. . .ah! There it was! The Road! Nearby, a patch of mushrooms! Yes, he knew this place! He and Merry - in his dream - had come down the small, yet steep, hill that rose over the patch of mushrooms slightly.  
  
Merry and Iris appeared as his sides. Merry's face became sort of solemn, yet in his eyes was a tiny flicker of excitement. Pippin turned to him, grinning.  
  
"You recognize it, don't you?" he said excitedly. "Merry! We're home! We're home! Byrn said it wouldn't happen, but look, it has!" He jumped up and down, laughing happily. Just then, the sound of voices reached his ears. Familiar voices. He turned and looked up the path. Someone was coming. Suddenly, he was being dragged into a large bush.  
  
"What the - ?" His voice was silenced by Merry's hand, which flew over his mouth and clasped there tightly, keeping him from crying out. The voices became figures, and one had recognizable brown hair and large blue eyes. Pippin's eyes widened and he struggled against Merry's grasp.  
  
'Frodo! It's Frodo!' he thought happily. But Merry held him to the spot. Frodo and the other Hobbit, whom Pippin recognized to be Samwise Gamgee, passed by. Merry waited a few moments, then released his cousin. Pippin gasped for air, turning to Merry with wide eyes. "Why did you do that? It was Frodo and Sam, Merry!"  
  
"I know," Merry said shortly. "Come on, Pip, we have to get back to camp."  
  
Pippin was confused. "But. . .Merry? Aren't we going home?"  
  
"No."  
  
"But. . ."  
  
"Pippin! Come on! We're not going home!!" Merry stood and began to walk away. Iris glanced at Pippin, a bit remorsefully, but followed Merry. Pippin sat, rather discouraged. He thought about leaving them to themselves and going home, but he couldn't leave his cousin alone with a human in the forest. What would he tell Merry's family? No one would ever think the same way of him again!  
  
Pippin gave a last glance to the Road, and hurried off after his companions.  
  
* * *  
  
A few hours later, as they trudged through the underbrush, the thought of being so close to home without actually being there still plagued poor Pippin. He wanted so badly to rush back to his family and friends. . .but Merry was his best friend. He couldn't go home without him.  
  
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A/N: Yes, many many author notes. . .time for the first bit of Merry POV. . .ever!  
  
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Ahead, Merry's thoughts were swirling about his mind. How he had yearned to go home, but at the same time his heart ached to stay with Iris. He didn't know why he had done what he had done, but something had almost forced him to.  
  
He felt like he was in such agony, torn between his love and his best friend. True, he had just met Iris, but she was so beautiful and so kind, very much unlike her companion. Thinking of which, Merry began to wonder just where Byrn had wandered off to. Granted, he had never really spoken to the Man, but he was Iris' father, so it didn't make sense for him to simply take off.  
  
As the sun began to lower in the sky again, Merry's feet became heavy with wanted rest. They seemed to scream, "Sit down! Stop walking, you stupid Hobbit!" but he kept going. He kept going, despite his tired feet, long into the night. Iris seemed to show no signs of stopping, but it was clear that Pippin was feeling the same as he was.  
  
"Iris?" he said softly. "Don't you think we should stop? My feet are getting a bit tired. . .and I think that Pippin is going to pass out if he walks anymore."  
  
"We have to at least reach Buckleberry Ferry," she replied.  
  
"Where are we even going?" Merry questioned, keeping his voice low. "You never told me that."  
  
"You will see when we get there," said Iris.  
  
'That helps a whole lot,' Merry thought. 'Next she'll be blindfolding us and throwing us in the River!'  
  
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A/N: A rather witty note to leave off on. Not a very exciting chapter, I'll admit, but hey, at least it keeps the plot a-rollin'! Don't forget to review, please and thank you! 


	8. Chapter 8 For a Moment

HMP: So many questions! Hmm. . .maybe I *should* make a pink oliphaunt drop out of the sky. . .nah, I like Bag End too much. (  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR, and I'm running out of witty ways to say it!  
  
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Perhaps it was all in his head, but for Pippin, Bree was like an unexplored jungle of towering Men and dreary buildings. The streets were no more than dirt, trampled and mutilated from the endless pairs of feet and hooves that had undoubtedly walked over it throughout the years. The sky, also, seemed darker, almost black, in this place. In the forest, it had been clear and bright. A velvety sort of blue, with specks of sparkling light mixed in. But not in Bree. The sky looked like it was covered by thick smog, unbreakable by light or any other force of nature. It depressed him.  
  
The three travelers had reached Bree a day and a half after the incident with Frodo and Sam. Iris had been very strict about how long they rested for. She said that they had lost a lot of time after her injury, and she fully intended to make it up. Neither Merry nor Pippin understood it, but they didn't object. The only question now was: where were they going?  
  
Pippin stumbled slightly as they entered a large tavern called The Prancing Pony. It was warm and lively here. Cordial light filled the main room, and everywhere Men sat together, talking and laughing and drinking. Pippin smiled. He liked it better here. Iris went to the counter and began talking with the innkeeper while Pippin wandered into the main room to have a look around. Merry didn't notice him wander off.  
  
Setting down his large pack, Pippin walked cautiously, yet curiously, over to a group of Men. They were deep in conversation, and a plate of food sat unnoticed next to them. Pippin's stomach grumbled. He was rather hungry. They had been walking all day, barely stopping to rest or eat at all. Without realizing it, his hand reached up and took a small loaf of bread. Sitting down, he began to munch happily.  
  
"Well, what 'ave we got 'ere?!" one of the Men suddenly roared. Pippin stopped, realizing his mistake. A large hand grasped his collar, pulling him up roughly. "You think you 'ave the right to go stealin' people's food, do ya?!"  
  
Merry looked over and groaned. 'Pippin, what have you done now?'  
  
"I-I'm sorry, sir," Pippin stammered. "I didn't realize-"  
  
"Ah, a Halfling!" the Man thundered, letting out a loud guffaw. "So, you Shire-folk just wander into Men's taverns, thinkin' you own the place jus' 'cause we buy pipeweed from you, eh?"  
  
"N-No, sir!" Pippin cried. "Nothing of the sort! I was just hungry, is all. I meant no harm!"  
  
Just then, the innkeeper hurried over, Iris and Merry close behind. "Now, what's all this?" he asked the Man.  
  
"This 'ere Halfling's thievin' from me!" the Man told him. "I was jus' givin' 'im what 'e deserves, is all."  
  
"Put him down, Will, he didn't mean to cause trouble," the innkeeper said gently.  
  
"Well, least make 'im pay for what 'e stole!" the Man, who Pippin guessed was Will, ordered, setting Pippin back on the ground.  
  
The innkeeper thought a minute. "Well. . .it is the fair thing to do, I'm afraid."  
  
Pippin's face paled. "Oh no. . .um, sir. . .I don't have any money."  
  
The innkeeper turned to Iris. She shook her head. "All I have is to be used for our rooms, sir."  
  
"Then, you'll have to work it off," the innkeeper said, sighing. "Come on, then, I'll have you get started right away. Get it over with so I can worry about more important things."  
  
Pippin glanced shamefully at Merry and Iris as they followed the Man back behind the bar. Merry simply sighed, shaking his head. Pippin felt very bad for bringing this upon his companions. He really hadn't meant any harm. The innkeeper handed each of them an apron.  
  
"You, you'll work in the kitchen," he said to Merry. "And. . .you two, I need my store-room organized. Hop to it."  
  
Pippin nodded and followed Iris into the store-room, where they began to organize the crates of food and ingredients alphabetically. After an hour, they had almost finished. Pippin glanced out the door and into the kitchen. Merry, for someone who wasn't the best cook in the world, seemed to be enjoying himself anyway.  
  
Suddenly, a shout rang out over the bar. A brawl started and the innkeeper jumped over the bar to try and stop it. Before long, everyone in the tavern was involved.  
  
"What's going on out there?" Iris asked, noticing the noise.  
  
"There's a fight going on," Pippin replied, shutting the door quickly as a chair was thrown at it. There was a loud thud as something heavy hit the door, making Pippin jump backwards. He turned to Iris. "We should get Merry and get out of here." He went to the door and pushed. Nothing happened. Pippin groaned. "We're locked in."  
  
He sighed and sat down. Iris went and sat beside him. He blushed slightly, remembering what had happened the morning after she had woken up from her wounds. He shifted in his spot.  
  
"Iris. . .I'm sorry," he said softly.  
  
"For?"  
  
"For getting us into this mess. . .and for when I kissed you." She was silent for a moment.  
  
"It's all right, Pippin. It didn't do any harm. Merry never found out, and I don't think he'll ever know, unless one of us tells him." Pippin nodded, standing. He walked a few paces, his hands in his pockets, thinking. Iris stood also, going to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Pippin?" she asked. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I keep wondering what I'm doing here, and I know I've asked you so many times already. . .but it's like a mystery that I can't ever solve. I wanted to go home so badly before, but at the same time, I wanted to stay with you and with Merry. I can't go home without him. People would start to wonder. . ."  
  
"I know, Pippin." Pippin turned around to face her, smiling slightly. Just then, another loud thud sounded against the wall next to them. Overhead, a box came loose and fell. Pippin pulled Iris out of the way, holding her in a protecting embrace as the box clattered to the ground. She looked up at him, blushing slightly. He searched her face, then pulled her closer and kissed her. He was a little surprised when she returned the kiss, putting her arms around his neck. She finally opened her eyes and pulled away when he deepened his kiss.  
  
"I can't do this," she said quickly, pushing him away. "I'm sorry. I can't do this to Merry." Pippin didn't know why, but he tried to kiss her again. She pushed him further away. "Pippin, I can't. Please understand."  
  
He sighed. "I know. I'm sorry." They turned away from each other for a moment, then began to pick up the fallen box. Pippin glanced at her quickly, a smile playing his lips. For a moment, he knew he had been truly happy.  
  
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A/N: Aww. . .Pip's got a crush! Hehe, please review! 


	9. Chapter 9 Don't Move An Inch

HMP: . . . . . . .a little excited are we?  
  
Aelfgiru: No, unfortunately, my internet is being rather difficult. *sigh* I am trying my best, though. And if you wanna draw a pic for my story, go right ahead! Um. . .request, request, request. . .well, whatever your favourite scene is. . .that's fine by me!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. How much more blatent can you get?  
  
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A shrill cry cut the night air. Pippin and Merry sat straight up in their beds. Iris was no where to be seen. The bar fight from before had ended quite abruptly, and the innkeeper had given them their rooms. The three of them headed there straight away after finishing their "chores". Pippin shared a bed with Merry, while Iris took one across the room. He felt very guilty about the event in the store room, but what could he do?  
  
The guilt left him now, though, as he stared frantically into the darkness. Merry was out of the bed and going to a window, looking out.  
  
"There's no one there. . ." he whispered hoarsely. "Whatever made that noise, it's gone now."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Pippin hissed, hurrying to his cousin's side. "It could be in the tavern." Merry gave him a grave look, but said nothing. Pippin's hands trembled slightly. "Merry. . .what do you suppose it was?"  
  
"A cat, maybe?" Merry guessed, though Pippin could tell he didn't believe it was true.  
  
"Cats don't make that sort of a sound. What if it was a person? Someone could be in trouble?" Pippin's eyes traveled to Iris' bed. "What if it was Iris?"  
  
Merry sighed. "I. . .don't think it was. . .it didn't sound like her. . ."  
  
Just then, Iris rushed through the door and snatched up her pack. She began to throw her things into it, not even giving notice to the two Hobbits. They peered at her curiously, and finally Merry spoke, "Iris, what's going on?"  
  
"Pack your things," she said quickly, not looking up. "We've got to get out of here."  
  
"Why? What's going on?" Merry asked again.  
  
"No time to explain." She was now pulling the sheets off of her bed, looking for something. "Ugh! I can't find the key to the room! Merry, you come with me to look for it. Pippin, stay here. Don't move an inch." With that she turned and hurried out. Merry glanced at Pippin, then ran after her.  
  
Pippin stood alone in the darkness, afraid to move. Iris had said not to, and there was an urgency in her voice that told him he had better obey. But it was much too dark. . . He decided that it wouldn't hurt to light a few candles. He wouldn't be moving far.  
  
He moved to the candles cautiously, and picked up a match, lighting each candle slowly. It brightened the room a bit, which comforted him. He never was a very big fan of the dark. Pippin went to the bed and sat, awaiting Iris and Merry's return. After fifteen minutes, there was no sign of them. Nothing moved in the entire tavern, as far as Pippin could tell.  
  
"Perhaps they just left me," Pippin wondered aloud. "Maybe Iris did tell Merry what happened, and that I said I had wanted to go home. Maybe they left me here, hoping I would catch on and go back to the Shire. Perhaps-"  
  
But his thoughts were cut short as a large hand appeared over his mouth and nose. It was clammy and cold. . .but wait, no, that wasn't the hand. It was the cloth in the hand. Pippin took a sharp intake of breath at surprise of the sudden appearance of the hand, and tried to pry it off his face, but to no prevail. As he continued to breathe with the cloth over his face, his head became fuzzy and he felt a bit nauseous. Soon, everything went dark. . .  
  
* * *  
  
Merry hurried around the small room, searching for any signs of his cousin. He and Iris had returned to the room only to find the candles lit and Pippin gone. Merry, quite worried, had instantly set to work trying to find him somewhere in the room. But after his search, he realized that Pippin was not in that room. This probably meant that he wasn't in the tavern anymore either. But where could he have gone without Merry and Iris noticing?  
  
"Merry, stop it, you're being foolish," Iris said. "Pippin is most likely down in the kitchen or something."  
  
"But you told him not to move," Merry argued. "Pippin's not one to disobey people, least of all girls."  
  
"What does being a girl have to do with anything?"  
  
"He gets nervous around them. He does what they tell him to, within the limits of course, because he doesn't want to come across as some sort of jerk. You have to be careful with that, Iris."  
  
"Wait, you're blaming *me*?!"  
  
"You're the one who told him to stay here."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Well, someone must have come in here and kidnapped him or something. If you had let him come with us, then it wouldn't have happened."  
  
Iris scowled. "How was I supposed to know he would get abducted?"  
  
"I don't know. You seem to know more about everything than me and Pip do. Figures you might know what happened to him."  
  
And then Merry made a fatal mistake. He turned his back to Iris, blowing out the candles. He felt a soft breath on his neck.  
  
"You're right, Merry," Iris' soft voice breathed furtively. "I do know what happened."  
  
A harsh blow struck the back of Merry's head, and he saw no more.  
  
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A/N: Oh, my! What has Iris done now?! Review, review and I will tell you!! 


	10. Chapter 10 What Do You Want From Me?

HMP: Yes, do try and forget the pink oliphaunt. I want poor Frodo's house to live! He's been through so much already, I don't think he'd very much enjoy his home being sat on. Although, then the Hobbits would believe Samwise when he said he's seen an oliphaunt. . .  
  
To everyone else: La, but I do love all of you so! Thanks for your reviews! *sniff, sniff* *tear, tear*  
  
Disclaimer: Do you think I own LotR any more than anyone else on this site? If you think even upon the edge of that thought, then you are a bigger fool than. . .than. . .me!! Muah ha. . .  
  
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Pippin's head was fuzzy. His stomach felt as if it was constantly churning and flopping around. His vision was blurred, and his mouth tasted of. . .well, he couldn't quite place it, but it was not the most pleasant taste in Middle Earth. He tried to sit up, but at the moment it seemed to be a bit of a challenge. So he lay his head back down onto the. . .rock? Well, he wasn't in the mood to wonder about the rock that he was laying his head upon. As long as there was something there, it really didn't matter.  
  
He felt his eyelids close over his eyes. Normally, darkness would have discomforted him, but at the moment, he liked it. Then he felt a shadow pass over him, and the feeling of eyes staring down at him. He looked up. A large, bulky figure loomed above him. He would have cried out, but he was in no mood. So, he simply stared back up at the figure, hoping it would either walk away or say something, so that he could get back to resting. After about five minutes, neither of them moved, so he sighed and closed his eyes again. A sharp pain passed through his side. This time he did cry out, and sat up in shock, clutching his side.  
  
"W-What did you do that for?" he managed to get out between gasps.  
  
"Are you hungry?" came the gruff reply. Without giving him a chance to answer, a plate of food was dropped before him. Pippin glanced up at the man, then tentatively picked up the plate. He sniffed the food, stifling a grimace. It wasn't the most appetizing stuff he'd ever seen, but now that he thought about it, he was rather hungry. Who knew how long he'd been unconscious for. . .  
  
And now that he thought about that, he didn't even know where he was. Pippin sighed. Not again. He'd already been through this once. Why did he have to go through it again? Wasn't once enough? Pippin slammed down the plate of food and stood. The figure reached out and shoved him back down. What was going on? Who was this person?  
  
"What do you want from me?" Pippin whimpered. "Why did you kidnap me?"  
  
"Don't talk," the man said softly. "You'll find out in good time."  
  
"But. . .my friends. . .Merry. . .Iris. . .what happened to them?" Pippin asked. "Did you hurt them? Who screamed? What's going on?!"  
  
Pippin gasped aloud as another kick met his side. "I said don't talk!" the man growled. "Your friends are perfectly fine. . .or were. Once Iris gets a hold of that Merry you talk about. . ."  
  
"What?"  
  
The man chuckled. "You don't think she and her father kidnapped you two for no reason, do you? Why, if you hadn't fallen right into their laps, they would have found you anyway."  
  
"But what did they want with us?"  
  
"You are Peregrin Took, are you not? And your friend, he is Meriadoc Brandybuck?"  
  
Pippin hesitated. "Yes. . ."  
  
"Then they wanted what any other no good ruffian wants: money. And, living near the Shire as they did, they knew how wealthy your families were, you in line to be the next Thain, he one of the wealthiest Hobbits in Buckland." Another chuckle. "They were going to find you, put you up for ransom and kill you once they go the money."  
  
Pippin went pale. "Then. . .who was that. . .that man they killed?"  
  
"Probably the one man who knew what they were up to, and the only man who tried to stop them. Those two. . .they don't like it when things get in their way."  
  
Pippin was silent for a moment. "But. . .who are you?"  
  
The man knelt down next to him. Pippin scrambled back a few feet. A small smirk appeared on the man's face, now visible in the firelight. "My name is Will. I believe we have already met once before." Pippin's eyes widened as he looked the man over. It was the man from the bar, who had gotten angry because he had taken some food. But now that he looked, Will didn't seem all that mean. He had a pale face, with dark gray eyes and sandy blonde hair, made darker by dirt and rain. Not an old man, but not a young one either, there were thin lines around his eyes and on his forehead.  
  
"You. . .you made us stay at the Prancing Pony," Pippin said softly, "to pay for the food I took. A bit of an overreaction, if you ask me."  
  
"I did it on purpose," Will told him. "I had to keep you there, so that I could get you away from Iris."  
  
"Why didn't you take Merry, too?" Pippin asked.  
  
"I thought Merry had stayed in the room with you," Will explained. "When I saw you by yourself, I knew it was too much of a risk to go after Iris and Merry. So, I took you, and with your help, perhaps we can track them and get your cousin as well?"  
  
"You want my help?" Pippin said. "I. . .I don't know. . .I'm only a Hobbit. . .what could I do?"  
  
"Hobbits have an interesting way of keeping themselves hidden," said Will. "No doubt Iris will use that to her advantage. But now that I have you, I can do the same, and you can find your cousin."  
  
Pippin's head was spinning. It didn't make sense, but at the same time it did. He wanted to help Will find Merry. . .but what if Will was lying? Why would Iris do such a thing? Pippin thought she loved Merry. . .he knew Merry loved her. . .and he knew that he loved her, which didn't make things any simpler. But if he helped Will, wouldn't he be letting her down? No. . .he didn't even know what she wanted from them, unless Will was telling the truth.  
  
"But. . .there are a few things I don't understand."  
  
"What would those things be?"  
  
"Well. . .there was. . .this warg, and--"  
  
"Oh, that. That was me. I set the warg on you, thinking maybe I could distract Iris long enough to get the two of you away. But, alas, she's far too good a fighter. I took my warg's body and. . .well, what else would I do with a dead warg?"  
  
"You buried it?"  
  
"No, I ate it."  
  
Pippin cringed, giving a sickening glance to the plate of food that had been given to him. "Also. . .um. . .well, why would Iris. . .you know. . .if she knew she was going to kill him anyway?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Oh. . .never mind."  
  
Will gave him a suspicious glance. "What happened?"  
  
"Well. . .um. . .Iris and Merry. . .they. . ." Pippin coughed, looking away, blushing slightly. Lowering his voice, he said, "See. . .they slept together."  
  
"Oh. . .well, that question I cannot answer. Maybe she does love him. I don't know. A thief's mind works in mysterious ways, Peregrin."  
  
"Pippin."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I prefer Pippin. . .um. . .if you please." Will gave him an amused look and chuckled to himself, before standing and fetching a blanket. He tossed it to Pippin.  
  
"Here, get some rest," he said. "I'll wake you up when it's time to go."  
  
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A/N: Ok, now to find out what's happening to Merry! Gah, is the suspense killing you? No? Oh well. . .it killed the warg! PAH HA HA HA. . .ha. . .hum. . .ok, well, please review. 


	11. Chapter 11 Have You Ever Looked Into His...

HMP:  
  
Answer to First Question - Apparently, Iris and Byrn would!  
  
Answer to Second Question - Merry knew HOW they got there. He didn't know WHY they were there, but he was so "head-over-heels" for Iris, he really didn't care, because as long as he was there, he got to be with her.  
  
Answer to Third Question - Byrn will come back. All will be explained.  
  
A/N: HAHA!! I have reached 30 reviews! Dancha to all of you who reviewed, and to Mrs. Emery Waterman, who was #30. . .and #20, I believe. Meh. *sigh* Oh, those loyal fans!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Get it? Got it? Good.  
  
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Merry's head and back ached. He found himself lying down, but moving at the same time, which didn't make sense because of what he remembered, he had been in a tavern in Bree. And, even if he had been moved from there, they hadn't had a horse with them. But he wasn't on a horse. . .he was in a cart. . .covered by a blanket.  
  
'They must think I'm dead!' Merry thought suddenly. 'Why would Iris try to kill me? And where did she get a cart from?' He sat up, pulling the blanket from his face and looking around. It was dark, night time, and the cart was rumbling through a dense forest. . .the Old Forest! But wait. . .it made no sense. Why was Iris now traveling back to the Shire?  
  
His head turned to look at who was driving the cart. It was a large man. . .Byrn! Where had he come from? Hadn't he disappeared? And next to him. . .Merry grinned. His Iris! Merry quickly turned his whole body around.  
  
"Iris!" he hissed. She turned, her eyes wide, forcing a smile at the sight of him.  
  
"Merry! Thank Elbereth you're awake!" she cried, jumping back to him, pulling him into an embrace. Byrn didn't move nor even glance in their direction. But Merry didn't care. He had never liked Byrn anyway. He was just happy that Iris wasn't the murderer he had thought her to be for a fleeting moment. He now knew that it was all a misunderstanding, as he held her close, eyes closed, a smile on his lips.  
  
"I was afraid you were dead, Merry," Iris said softly, pulling away, and sitting down beside him, still holding his hands. "When we were in the room, you collapsed. I got scared. Then, Byrn appeared. That's why we went to Bree. I knew that was the first place to look for him. He had bought a cart and was about to go back to find us, but I saw him in the street and I went down and told him what had happened. We put you in the cart with a blanket so you wouldn't freeze."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Well, Pippin obviously went somewhere. He told me in the store-room that he wanted to go home. I thought maybe he had snuck out to do just that. We're going to see if we can find him. He might get hurt or lost."  
  
"If we find him. . .could we take him home? I know he wants to go home. He misses the Shire."  
  
Iris frowned. "I. . .I don't know if we could."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"We just can't!" Merry didn't say anything. He sat back, pulling one of his hands out of hers and putting it around her shoulders. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Merry. . .I have a confession to make. . ."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Pippin. . .he. . .he kissed me."  
  
Merry frowned deeply, anger flashing through his mind. "When?"  
  
"The morning after I woke up. . .and then, again. . .in the store-room."  
  
"He kissed you twice?!" Merry released her and looked her straight in the eye. "Why did you let him?!"  
  
"I. . .I didn't," Iris stammered. "He took me by surprise, Merry. You have to understand." She sighed again. "I think he's jealous of you, Merry. Maybe that's why he ran off."  
  
"No. . .I know it wasn't right what he did, and I know he's probably a bit hurt because I haven't really spent very much time with him, or acted like his best friend lately, but he's not the type who would just take off. He hasn't the heart nor the head to do something like that. I think he was kidnapped."  
  
"I don't think you know him as well as you think you do."  
  
"And you do? I've been there with him since the day he was born. I think I'd know him a little better than someone who only met him a few weeks ago."  
  
"Have you ever looked into his eyes, Merry?"  
  
Merry didn't respond right away. What kind of a question was that? But, now that he thought of it. . . "Well, no, I guess not."  
  
"You can tell a lot about a person, or Hobbit, by their eyes. For instance, when I look into your eyes, I see that you are kind and loyal, but you can be strict when you need to be, and you're very learned in the ways of the world. There are a lot of defining experiences in your past, and they have clearly changed you for the better." She smiled slightly. "Am I right?"  
  
Merry blushed slightly, but she was right.  
  
* * *  
  
Pippin soon found himself being shaken by Will. He stirred and groaned unhappily, turning away from the man, preparing to doze off again. A sharp pain through his back caused him to jolt up. He rubbed his back.  
  
"Do you have to kick me all the time?" he grumbled.  
  
"How else am I supposed to get you to do anything?" Will returned, taking the blanket from him. "You Hobbits prove to be rather stubborn."  
  
Pippin rubbed his eyes, yawning, but ignoring Will's comment. After a quick stretch, he stood and wobbled in the spot, having not stood for. . .well, he didn't know, but he was sure it was a long time. Will had already packed most of his possessions into a large pack and was now strapping the blanket onto a horse that Pippin hadn't noticed before.  
  
"So, where are we going?" Pippin asked, brushing himself off.  
  
"To see a friend of mine," Will replied vaguely. "He's not really known to many Men, but I happened to stumble across his home during my wanderings, and he knows everything that goes on in this forest."  
  
"What forest?"  
  
"The Old Forest."  
  
Pippin grinned. "We're in the Old Forest?!" He started for the opening of the small alcove they had been under. Will held him back, chuckling.  
  
"Not so fast, Master Pippin," he said. "Wait for me and we'll get going."  
  
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A/N: Oh, dear, now who are we to believe? Iris or Will? And what will happen now that Merry knows what Pippin did? AND. . .is Pippin getting a bit too excited for Will to handle? AND WHERE DID BYRN GO?! Ahh! So many answers to give, so little time! Please review!! 


	12. Author's Note

Hola all of my reviewers! I want to first of all extend my gratitude and thanks for your loyalty to my story. It didn't start out as much, just something I began to type one day. But I'm glad you all like it. ^_^  
  
Now, I just wanted to note that I am starting a new story, for which I don't have a title yet, but I'll let you know. It's going to be sort of a re-write of LotR (movie version) where Diamond and Estella tag along. Hehe. Anyway, I'm telling you this so that you aren't surprised or confused if this story isn't updated as often anymore. But do hang in there! I will continue to try and have new chapters out as soon as I can. Danche!  
  
~Sven 


	13. Chapter 12 Someone to Talk To

A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! (or that song)  
  
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Pippin strolled slowly out of the small alcove and into the sunlight. The ground was still moist from an apparent rain, but the sun peeked through the intertwining branches of the trees. He took a deep breath, smiling. The smell of the forest reminded him of the Shire, especially the Old Forest. There were forests in the Shire, of course, such as the Bindlebole and the Woody End, but the Old Forest was his favorite. Perhaps it was because he and Merry had spent a lot of time there. . .oh well.  
  
Suddenly, Pippin jumped and screamed as something crashed into him. It was a boy, about Iris' age, with rather long, shaggy brown hair and grayish eyes. He was carrying a stack of firewood, which he now dropped from Pippin's cry. He glared up at the Hobbit.  
  
"Look what you made me do!" he snapped angrily, stooping to pick the wood up. Pippin eyed him curiously, recovering from his shock.  
  
"Umm. . .pardon me, but. . .who are you?" he asked. The boy shot him another glance, then turned his eyes to Will, who was just leading the horse out of the shelter.  
  
"Don't even have the courtesy to introduce me?" he inquired a bit coldly. Will shrugged.  
  
"Thought it better if you introduced yourself," Will replied.  
  
The boy stood again, awkwardly holding out his hand underneath the pile of wood. "My name is. . ." He shifted the lumber. ". . .Fidell."  
  
Pippin grinned, stifling a laugh. "Fiddle?"  
  
The boy frowned. "Fi - dell. You best tell me your name, Halfling, before you go criticizing mine."  
  
"My name is Pippin Took," Pippin greeted. "And I wasn't criticizing it, I was just a bit amused by it."  
  
Fidell looked to Will. "He's not one to hold his tongue, is he?"  
  
Will shrugged again, too busy saddling his horse to care about the unpleasant feelings between one Hobbit and one boy.  
  
* * *  
  
After they had started off, Pippin decided it was best not to walk next to Fidell. He didn't seem to like Hobbits very much, but maybe if he kept his distance for awhile, that would change. Byrn hadn't liked him much at first, either, but. . .well, now, come to think of it, Pippin couldn't really tell if Byrn had taken a liking to him or not, for the human had disappeared before he could really tell.  
  
Not feeling too comfortable around Will yet, either, Pippin settled for walking behind the two by himself. It was lonely, he had to admit, but it didn't really seem very different from when he was with Merry and Iris. He had walked alone then, too. Only difference was Will and Fidell weren't constantly talking to each other. In fact, it was rather quiet walking with these two humans.  
  
'I wonder if they enjoy not talking,' Pippin thought. 'I don't know about them, but I'm not sure if I could stand life without talking. Not that I'm a really talkative Hobbit, but I like to have someone to talk to. . .'  
  
* * *  
  
Merry sat in the back of the cart, Iris snuggled up against him, sleeping. He was beginning to doze off himself. It was quiet, as Byrn was never really one to talk much. For some reason, this made Merry feel a bit uncomfortable. He didn't really like the quiet. He liked to talk to people. . .like Pippin. His heart sank to think about his cousin, alone somewhere, even if it had been of his own free will. But the worst part was if Pippin had left to go home, Merry knew it was because of him. He hadn't spent very much time with Pippin, and Elbereth knew that the young Took was very homesick. Merry cursed himself for not perhaps comforting his cousin at all. Perhaps it would have made Pippin stay.  
  
Yet, another thought came to him. Pippin had kissed Iris - twice - without saying anything to Merry. This angered the elder Hobbit. He couldn't believe Pippin would have done something like that, especially when he knew how much Merry cared about Iris. Why would Pippin have gone behind his back like that? Was it out of anger? Or was Pippin genuinely in love with Iris? Maybe still, it was just that Pippin was jealous? Merry didn't know, but he swore to himself that he'd find out.  
  
The cart slowed to a stop, and Merry sat up slowly, so as not to disturb Iris. He looked around, then to Byrn. "What is it?"  
  
Byrn said nothing, simply jumped down from the cart and drew a small dagger from his belt. He went slowly to a bush and kicked.  
  
"Ow!" a voice cried. Merry's brow furrowed as a man stood from within the bush, raising his arms in surrender. "Don't get to hasty there, Byrn, I meant no harm."  
  
Byrn's face brightened a bit. "Will? Is that you?"  
  
"'Course it's me, you fool!" the other man cried happily, laughing. He shook Byrn's now outstretched hand. "It's nice to see you again! And you remember Fidell?" No one appeared. Will cleared his throat. "I said, you remember Fidell?!" Another man, a younger one, appeared at Will's side. He held out his hand.  
  
"Byrn," he said shortly, shaking the man's hand. His eyes drifted to the cart as the two elder men began talking. Merry's gaze caught his and they sat like that for a moment, stares locked intently on one another. It wasn't a friendly glance, either. Merry shifted slightly, then glanced down at Iris. Fidell followed Merry's gaze to the girl's face. His eyes softened a bit.  
  
"Well, Byrn, it was good to see ya," Merry heard Will say. "Fidell and me gotta get going on back to Bree now. Maybe next time you're about we can get a drink and catch up?"  
  
"Sure, sure," Byrn agreed, climbing back into the cart. "Good-bye Will. Fidell." And then with a slight nod of his head, Byrn ordered the horse to continue on, and the cart rolled away.  
  
* * *  
  
"What are you doing?" Pippin cried, watching the cart drive off. "That was Merry! We could have saved Merry!"  
  
"All in good time, little Hobbit," Will said, calming him a bit. "We have one more place to stop first, and then it's back to the Shire with you."  
  
Pippin shook his head. "No! I can't go home yet! Not without Merry! I can't leave him with them!"  
  
Fidell forced Pippin to sit down. "Now listen here! We'll get your friend back, but you'll just have to trust us until we do! So just keep quiet, all right?!"  
  
Pippin shut his mouth, but fidgeted nervously. He itched to run after the cart and get Merry away from those thieves, however, he knew he couldn't do that by himself, so he'd just have to wait. He sighed. 'Waiting is not my favorite thing. . .'  
  
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed, and sorry for making everyone wait! Also, I have a new story up. It's called "May It Be". Check it out, if you will. Now please review! Danche. 


	14. Chapter 13 Sword Fighting and Girls

Natta: I demand you return the pink oliphaunt at once! And thank you for checking out me other story. It has 2 reviews thus far. . .from the same person! Woohoo!  
  
HMP: Yes, Pippin got a kick outta Fidell's name, too. And, no, it's not taken from the name of the restaurant Billy and Dom went to in the Two Towers special that aired in December. . .I swear. . .*looks around nervously*  
  
Stringzinger: Thank you very much. I was wondering where you came from. . . (referring to seeing that she was added to your Fav. Authors list)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR, no song this time. :D  
  
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Pippin awoke that night to see Fidell leaning over him, dabbing a cloth to his head lightly. A stinging feeling passed through his forehead. He sat up quickly, pushing the boy's hand away. "Ah! What are you doing?!"  
  
"You have a cut," Fidell said. "It's old, but it reopened when I pushed you down earlier. I was just cleaning it."  
  
"I don't have a cut!" Pippin cried, rubbing his forehead. It stung again and he removed his hand, looking at his fingers. There was blood on them. His eyes widened and he looked back up at Fidell. "I have a cut!"  
  
Fidell smiled in amusement, laughing to himself. "Sit still so I can finish, would you?" Pippin did as the boy asked and sat still. After a moment, Fidell was finished and gathered his things to put away. Pippin watched him curiously. He was a strange young man, rather disheveled looking, and wasn't very clean either. The Hobbit wondered how he knew Will, how he had ended up with him. Perhaps he had kept his distance long enough. . . "Fidell?"  
  
The boy turned back to him. "What?"  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"You just did."  
  
"Well. . .another one, then."  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"How do you know Will?"  
  
Fidell frowned slightly, setting his things down and going back to sit beside Pippin. He paused a moment, then started, "Well. . .he's sort of like. . .my father in a way. He's not really, but he's a sort of temporary guardian. I'm almost old enough to be able to live by myself, so he's just looking after me until I am."  
  
"Oh, me too. I'm almost Come of Age, I mean."  
  
"What's that mean?"  
  
"It means that I'm almost thirty-three, when I can get my own Hobbit Hole and start a life on my own. I'll probably stay in the Great Smials like I do now, but I'll be by myself." Pippin paused. "What happened to your real father?"  
  
"He died."  
  
"And your mother?"  
  
"Same."  
  
"So. . .you're an orphan?"  
  
Fidell shrugged. "I guess. It doesn't bother me very much, though. I've always been sort of alone. My father was always traveling around. He was like a merchant. And my mother, she was very busy. Had to take care of the house since my dad couldn't, you know? So it was pretty much just me during the days."  
  
"What did you do all day?"  
  
"I walked around. Talked to people. Realized how much of a waste of time that is. Took up something else and never really got out much after that."  
  
"What did you take up?"  
  
"Sword fighting." Fidell grinned. "And girls." Pippin laughed knowingly.  
  
"So how do you know Byrn and Iris?"  
  
Fidell's grin faded a bit as he shrugged again. "Met Iris in Bree one day and we sort of became friends. I guess that's how I know Byrn, through her. I've known her for about two and a half years. She and Byrn come and go in Bree as they please, so I try to see her whenever she's in." He stopped there a moment, then looked to Pippin. "So how about you? Who's this Merry fellow?"  
  
"Merry's my cousin and my best friend. We grew up together. . .well, no, he's older, so I grew up with him and he just sort of took me under his wing as his friend. But when he met Iris. . ." Pippin faltered. He didn't know how much he should tell Fidell.  
  
Fidell waited expectantly for a moment. "What happened?"  
  
"He and Iris. . .they sort of. . .well, they fell in love, to put it shortly. He started spending a lot of time with her, of course, and I guess I got a little jealous of him. But I liked Iris, too. She's. . .well, she's different. So, I did something I really shouldn't have."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"I kissed her. Twice. But Merry doesn't know about it, thank Elbereth. He would kill me! Skin me alive for sure."  
  
Fidell looked at the Hobbit in amusement. "Sounds like you two have a bit of a rivalry going on, hm?"  
  
"No, not really. I just got a bit aggravated that he forgot about me, so to speak. But I still want to get him away from Byrn and Iris. Will told me what they're planning to do."  
  
Fidell was about to say something, when Will walked up behind them. "You two better get to sleep. You'll need your rest for tomorrow."  
  
* * *  
  
Merry awoke to find that the cart had stopped moving and Iris was gone. He was about to sit up, when he heard the sound of voices nearby: Iris and Byrn's. He rolled over quietly so he could hear better.  
  
"How far in are we going?" Iris asked.  
  
"We'll have to follow the Withywindle down to where it meets the Brandywine, and we can cross there and hide out in the Overbourn Marshes. That way, we'll be close enough to Brandy Hall without actually being there."  
  
"So, we'll be in the Shire? Not outside of it?"  
  
"Yes, of course. It's what we planned to do from the start. Why would it be any different now?"  
  
"Well. . .now that Pippin's disappeared. . .shouldn't we stay in the Old Forest, in case he comes along?"  
  
"No need for that, Iris. We don't really need him. The one we got'll do just fine."  
  
There was no response to this. Merry closed his eyes as he heard Iris climb up and settle next to him. He tried to think about what they said, but sleep overtook him to soon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: I will be on vacation for about a week or so, just FYI. Review please! Danche. 


	15. Chapter 14 Get Out of Here

A/N: I have returned! Back to the coldness of my home from the warmth of the South. Sorry for the wait and stuff, guys.  
  
HMP: I'm updating! And I'm sorry that they cut away most of the special. It was really good. Hopefully you still got the Dom and Billy section. That was hilarious.  
  
Aelfgiru: I'm glad you liked that part. And I'm glad you like this story. I guess I'm just glad today!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own LotR. Nadda. Zilch. Zippo. Money out the ying- yang. Okay, I'll stop now.  
  
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Merry awoke the next morning to a harsh, cold wind on his face. He grimaced, rolling over slowly to face Iris. She wasn't there. He struggled to sit up and looked around. The campfire was out and it was still a bit dark out. He realized it must be near dawn.  
  
'Where could Iris and Byrn be?' he thought, seeing the cart looking almost deserted. He took the opportunity of the wind dying down a bit to jump out of the cart. The wind picked up again as he entered into the trees. It was less cold here, since the trees shielded him from some of the wind. He walked along slowly with his hands in his pockets, reminding himself every so often that he shouldn't travel very far. Iris might return to the cart and start worrying.  
  
'Maybe I could convince her to look for Pippin again,' Merry thought. From what he heard the previous night, it sounded like they were just going back to the Shire and giving up on poor Pip. 'He could be in a lot of trouble.' He continued to stroll idly, kicking up the dirt, shuffling along without much thought for what was going to happen.  
  
Suddenly, thunder clapped above him and the skies opened, letting a harsh rain fall to the ground. Merry, though sheltered by the trees, was soon soaked and hurrying back to the camp. However, he couldn't exactly remember where it was. He began to grow a bit frantic.  
  
"Oh no, oh no. . ." he said over and over, looking around and squinting through the rain. "Okay. . .now. . .um, I went that way. . .or no, maybe. . .wait! I remember that tree! Oh. . .maybe not. . .oh no. . ."  
  
By now, he was sure he had been gone at least an hour, if not more. Iris and Byrn were almost definitely back by now, and were probably searching for him. He began to wonder if staying where he was would be better than moving. That way, if Iris or Byrn did come along, they would be able to find him. And his mother had always told him to just stay where he was when he was lost.  
  
Merry found himself a thick fir tree, so that he would have plenty of shelter, and sat down to wait. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and closed his eyes. A soft sigh escaped him. 'Going to sleep would probably be the best idea,' he thought. He lay there for about ten minutes, tuning out the rain and seemingly feeling nothing as the cold rain numbed him slightly.  
  
All of a sudden, he sat straight up as a sharp cold contacted with his throat. He froze as he realized that it was a knife, his entire body tensing. A dull pain went through his neck. A hand reached up and grabbed his shoulder, pulling his head back to where the person's mouth was next to his ear.  
  
"So, tryin' to escape, are we?" a gruff voice growled. Merry's eyes widened as it struck him. It was Byrn.  
  
"No, Byrn, of course not!" Merry whimpered. "I just got lost when I went to look for you and Iris. Honest!"  
  
"Don't talk!" Byrn commanded, tightening the knife against the Hobbit's throat. Merry forced himself not to make the gagging noise that was rising in his throat. "It's of no concern to me, li'l Hobbit. For you see, I have somethin' else planned fer you t'day."  
  
Merry gulped. What was Byrn planning to do? Some foul thoughts crossed his mind, but Merry doubted that this Man was one who would do something that drastic. Perhaps he was planning to kill him? He hoped that was not the case. Killing had never even crossed his mind before. He never planned on being murdered by Byrn. A thought suddenly struck him and he began struggling.  
  
"Where's Iris?!" he demanded angrily. "What have you done with her?! If you killed her, I'll - "  
  
Byrn laughed dryly. "You think I would kill my own daughter? Naw, she's righ' where I put 'er, and that's where yer goin', too."  
  
Before Merry could protest, he was struck over the head and blacked out.  
  
* * *  
  
"Merry!" was the sound that the stricken Hobbit woke to. He sat up, only to be met by Iris, who threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly. He pulled her away gently, smiling.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked. Then he remembered what happened, and looked around. They were sitting in a small cell made of stone. There were no windows, no seats, no beds, nothing, except for one door. He drew her back into an embrace, looking around in confusion. "It's ok, Iris. . .what happened? Where are we?"  
  
"We're in the Barrow-downs," Iris said softly. "Byrn. . .he. . .locked me in here. We had a discussion two nights ago, and I don't know what happened. I went to go to sleep, and the next thing I know, I'm here. I think Byrn is planning something. . .something terrible. But I don't know what it is."  
  
"But he's your father, shouldn't you know?"  
  
"That's what I thought, too. I thought I knew all of our plans, but apparently not. This wasn't part of it. I was so worried about you, Merry. I thought he had killed you."  
  
"For a moment, I thought he was going to," Merry told her. "He found me in the woods. I went to go look for you and I got lost." He paused, looking around again. Then, he pulled away from her, giving her a determined look. "We've got to get out of here, before Byrn does something."  
  
"I know. . .but how do we get out?"  
  
"I. . .I don't know. . ."  
  
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A/N: I know, I know. It's short and I made you wait a LOOOOONG time, but I'm having major writer's block, so please, try to bear with me. I'll work to have an extra long chapter next time! Now, please review. Danche! 


	16. Chapter 15 Tom Bom! Jolly Tom! Tom Bomba...

A/N: I promised this to be an extra-long chapter, I know, but I'm still getting over my case of writer's block. However, I worked hard to make this as long as I could without dragging it out. So, I hope it's to everyone's liking!  
  
Disclaimer: LotR is property of J.R.R. Tolkien. Not me. Now, my OC's. . .that's another story. . .  
  
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Pippin trudged along, keeping his gaze glued to the ground. He didn't want to do anything to upset Will. For the past few days, the Man had been very irritable, and from his prior experience with him, Pippin knew to keep his distance. But now that he had gotten to know Fidell better, things weren't that bad. The two would often talk together as they walked, or if Will began to shoot them angry looks, they would talk to each other when they camped. Fidell had become almost like a second Merry. . .almost. Pippin still would prefer to have his cousin back.  
  
But there were two things that still lingered in the back of his mind: Where was Will leading them and when were they going home? He noticed that the trees were getting thicker. That meant they were going deeper into the forest. Why deeper? Shouldn't they be going *out* of the forest? Pippin rubbed his forehead wearily. He hoped they would stop to rest soon. Will had to get tired sometime, didn't he? Pippin glanced over at the Man. Didn't he. . . ?  
  
Just as he thought his legs were about to break in half, Will stopped them, dropping his pack onto the ground in front of a large willow tree.  
  
"We'll rest here tonight, and keep going tomorrow," he told the other two. "We're almost there."  
  
'Almost where?' Pippin wanted to ask, but he held his tongue. He would know soon enough anyway. With a huff, he slumped down against the willow tree, closing his eyes. Sleep was coming on fast, and he welcomed it with open arms. That was one part of traveling at a grueling pace every day: sleep came very easily. And this would have been a very peaceful sleep, except for one thing: Pippin could've sworn he felt something tugging at the back of his jacket. He swung his arm blindly to swat it away.  
  
But the tugging persisted. His brow furrowed and he opened his eyes to get rid of whatever pestering creature was disturbing his sleep. But there was nothing there. Grumbling to himself, Pippin shifted and closed his eyes again. Suddenly, there was a firm yank on the back of his jacket. Startled, Pippin jumped up, shedding his jacket in the process. Will and Fidell were immediately at his sides. They watched as a crack opened in the tree and in went Pippin's jacket. The Hobbit stood wide-eyed and open- mouthed.  
  
"My jacket!" he cried after a moment. "That tree ate my jacket!" He went over and kicked the tree. "Give it back, you wooden nuisance! Spit it out! You don't see me eating your leaves! Give me my jacket!" With a sudden whoosh, Pippin was sent sprawling backwards. One of the willow branches had swung around and struck him in the stomach. He stared up at the tree. "That is not a normal willow!"  
  
"No, it's not," Fidell agreed, cautiously helping him to his feet. "Will, what is this thing?"  
  
"It's Old Man Willow," Will answered. "I should've remembered. . .just don't go near it. We should be fine." A small branch suddenly swung, hitting Will in the back of the head. He swung around quickly, rubbing the stricken spot. "All right, perhaps we're still a bit too near. . ."  
  
"Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a ding dillo!"  
  
Pippin looked up at the sound of the song. Where was it coming from?  
  
"Ring a dong! Hop along! Fal lal the willow!"  
  
It didn't sound very far off. . .Pippin never knew people lived in the Old Forest.  
  
"Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"  
  
And the song continued, until on the path came a most unusual sight. It was a man, a short man, with bright red hair and clothes equally as flashy. Pippin had to look twice. He thought he was dreaming at first. But there he was, plain as day, walking cheerily down the path, singing. The little man spotted the other three, who were all staring openly at him, and smiled. The singing ceased.  
  
"William!" the little man cried, running over to Will.  
  
Will blushed. "It's Will, Tom."  
  
"William, I knew you'd come back to visit me one day!" the man, or Tom, continued, ignoring Will's statement. "Goldberry has missed you. Ah, and you have some friends with you! A Shire-Hobbit, by the looks of him, and a strapping young lad! Now, where did you manage to find such noble companions?"  
  
As much as Pippin was beginning to like this fellow, he couldn't take his mind off of the tree that happened to still have his jacket. Fidell snickered.  
  
"Excuse me, sir?" he chimed in. "My friend here, the Hobbit, has lost his jacket to this. . .um. . .intriguing willow tree here. Do you suppose you could help us to retrieve it for him?"  
  
"Most certainly, my fine lad!" Tom said joyfully. With that he walked over to the large willow tree, and began. . .singing! Pippin wanted to laugh. Of all things to do, he had not expected singing to be the chosen attack plan. He had thought perhaps set fire to the tree, make it give up the jacket? Or cut it open or something. But not sing to it!  
  
However, this method seemed to work, for after a moment, the tree opened slightly in the trunk and spat the jacket onto the ground before Tom. The cheery man picked it up, thanked the old tree and returned it to its owner. Pippin gratefully took it and put it back on, glad to have it again.  
  
"Now tell me, my dear William," Tom said, going to Will's side as the four began walking. "Where are you and your companions headed?"  
  
"That is of little importance," Will replied. "We shall talk of it later. How is your Goldberry?"  
  
After this, Pippin drowned out the conversation, not wanting to be rude and eavesdrop. He found it rather odd that this fellow showed up out of nowhere, and just in the nick of time, too. Perhaps it was more than coincidence. . .but then again, how could it be? The Old Forest was large, and planning something like that sort of chance meeting would be rather difficult. So he set the thought aside and let his mind wander: to this Tom Bombadil fellow, Merry and Iris, the Shire, and most of all: food.  
  
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A/N: A very Pippin-y ending, I think. All righty, I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so. . .*deep breath*. . .SOOOOO sorry that I haven't updated sooner! I have been extremely busy. My exams are almost here in school, so of course I'm getting tons upon tons of homework thrown at me to prepare. Not to mention I have two other stories now to work on, and one that I haven't worked on in awhile, but hope to finish someday. I'm going to try to work out a system for my writing, and hopefully no more severe cases of Writer's Block will befall me. I doubt many of you still read this story, but if you still do, thank you so much for being so very loyal. Now, please review! Dancheshoen! 


	17. Chapter 16 You Now Know Too Much

A/N: An update! An update! A real, live UPDATE!!  
  
aelfgifu: That's so weird that we posted those chapters at the same time. I went and read yours. . .gave me a bit of a chill, really. lol, anyway my exams are coming up this week and I hope to do well on them. Wish me luck and enjoy this new chapter!  
  
Clare: Ooh, a new reviewer! Thanks for your review, I'm glad you liked the story! I will have more time over the summer, but it all depends on this darn Writer's Block that I've been having. I'm sure it will pass very soon.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. I don't think. . . *checks copyright in book* Yeah, nope I don't own it.  
  
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Tom Bombadil's house was one of the coziest places Pippin had ever seen. It was very quaint, really. But one of his favorite parts about Tom Bombadil was his wife, Goldberry. She had a mystical, magical air about her, and was quite beautiful besides. The food was excellent, and that was something Pippin was very grateful for. However, the thought of why they were here in the first place crossed his mind. Was this where Will meant to go the entire time?  
  
The night passed slowly, almost as if time itself had slowed down. This was nice for a little while, but it proved to be quite a bother when Pippin was lying in a room off of the main one trying to get to sleep. Fidell was sound asleep beside him, and Will was still in the main room with Tom, talking quietly by the fire.  
  
'I suppose it won't hurt just to take a peek,' Pippin thought, quietly rising from his bed and sneaking to the door. He opened it a crack and listened.  
  
"What do you plan to do with him now?" Tom was asking.  
  
"I plan to take him exactly where I was supposed to take him," Will replied.  
  
"But won't this disrupt the whole plan in the first place?" Tom inquired. "Things seem to be a bit mixed up now that you have one and Byrn has the other. Didn't the plan require both of them?"  
  
"It required one to be victim and one to be criminal."  
  
"Which is yours?"  
  
"Criminal."  
  
Tom was quiet for a moment. "How does Byrn plan on making it work without the criminal part of the plan?"  
  
Will shrugged. "Perhaps he'll use what he has."  
  
"And what does he have?"  
  
"A Hobbit and a girl. . .his girl. Which is why I have doubts. Byrn may not be the nicest man, but he would never hurt his girl."  
  
"Would you ever hurt your boy?"  
  
"He's not my boy. That makes him fair game, in my eyes." Will shifted in his seat. "I suppose it could work to gain more profit if we used both as victims, but Byrn might not go for that. He wouldn't want to blame his girl for anything of that sort, I don't think."  
  
"But what about the man they killed? Did he not blame her for that?"  
  
"He did. That is the other side of my doubt. If he could blame her for killing him-"  
  
"Who was he?"  
  
"His name was Aaron. He was a decent fellow, never harmed no one. But he overheard of our plan, and he tried to stop them from getting the Hobbits. So Byrn killed him. Luckily for them, those two Hobbits ran right into their trap. No skill involved."  
  
Silence hung in the air for quite awhile after this. Pippin couldn't move. He felt numb. Was Will planning to kill him? Or was he planning to kill Fidell? He couldn't really fully comprehend what had just been discussed and what it all meant, but he was sure that someone was going to be murdered. How anyone could make money out of that, Pippin had yet to figure out.  
  
'I better get back before they notice me,' he thought quickly, and turned to return to his bed. Fidell stood behind him, glaring down at him.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked softly, his voice low and hard.  
  
"I. . .I was just-" Pippin stammered. Suddenly, Fidell swung the door open fully and shoved Pippin out into the main room. The Hobbit stumbled and fell onto his back. Will and Tom jumped up immediately, turning to see what was going on.  
  
"What's all the row about?" Will demanded. "You two should be asleep!"  
  
"He was listening to your conversation," Fidell said calmly, his piercing eyes never leaving Pippin's petrified face.  
  
Will's eyes blazed as they turned to the young Hobbit. "What did you hear? How long were you standing there?"  
  
Pippin, suddenly enraged, jumped up. "You're going to murder someone! Just like Byrn murdered that man when I first saw him! The reason I always thought I was with them, to keep it quiet! Now you're going to kill as well! But who is it this time? Some random person who knows your secrets?! No! It's going to be me, or Merry, or even Fidell! I heard you say it! You said that he was fair game, since he wasn't your son!"  
  
No one spoke. Will glanced at Tom, who nodded as if some silent agreement had been made. Fidell disappeared into the room where he and Pippin had been sleeping. Will approached Pip, who stood his ground fiercely, though his heart hammered in his chest with fear.  
  
"I'm afraid, my dear Hobbit, that you now know too much," he growled softly. "I was going to spare your life, if you didn't hear that part of the conversation."  
  
"I did," Pippin said quickly. "Where I was criminal, not victim. But I don't understand, and I don't want to understand! I just want to go home, and to have all of you leave the Shire the way it is!"  
  
"I can't do that, Pippin," Will said. Pippin gasped as Fidell returned, holding him tightly as he bound the Hobbit's wrists. He struggled, of course, but to no prevail. A blindfold was placed over his eyes. He now grew frantic. Suddenly, there was a dull pressure on his neck, and he lost consciousness.  
  
* * *  
  
Pippin woke with a start. His head pounded with a ferocious headache. His whole body ached. He could tell that he was no longer in Tom Bombadil's home. He was somewhere cold, somewhere dark. Somewhere alone.  
  
He stood with difficulty, thought his wrists were no longer bound together. Looking around, he realized he was in some sort of cell, like a jail cell, only darker. It was deathly quiet.  
  
"Hello?!" he called, his small voice echoing in the room. "Is. . .is there anyone else here?! Hello!"  
  
"Pippin?!" came a voice. Pippin's head jerked to see a door with a small opening in it. He ran and looked out. Across the way was another cell, and looking out at him was Merry!  
  
"Merry! Merry, I'm so glad to see you!" Pippin cried happily. "We have to get out of here, Merry. Will. . .he's planning something awful. I think he's going to kill us."  
  
"Byrn must have something to do with it," Merry said.  
  
"Byrn? You mean he came back?"  
  
"Yeah, and he locked myself and Iris in here." Merry was silent for a moment. "Pippin, I'm sorry I haven't acted very friend-like towards you lately. It was wrong of me to ignore you."  
  
Pippin shrugged. "It's all right, Merry, I understand that you love Iris. I'm not going to get in the way of that."  
  
Merry frowned, but said nothing. He nodded silently, then left the door. Pippin sighed and sat down. 'We're doomed.'  
  
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A/N: Okay, here ya go! I hope you enjoy it, and oh the plot twists! Trust me, it gets worse! Muah haha!! Please review, danche! 


	18. Chapter 17 Your Time Is Up

A/N: I'm getting back into the swing of things. The story is going to get more  
  
exciting from here I hope, so I should be updating a lot more often.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Although, I was able to do one of my crazy Tolkien rants today that I love so much. And Dominic Monaghan was spotted in a city not too far from where I live recently. That put a bit of sunshine into my day.  
  
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"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Pippin's eyes shot open at the sound of this scream. He sat up, looking around frantically. The sound had come from Merry's cell. Pippin ran to the door, trying to see into the cell across from him. The door was open part of the way, which meant someone was inside besides Merry and Iris.  
  
'Oh no,' he thought. 'What if it's Will in there? Or Byrn?'  
  
"Merry!" he shouted, without thinking. It was silent for a moment. Then, someone appeared at the door of his cell. It was Fidell. Pippin perked up a little bit. "Fidell! Fidell, what's going on? Get me out of here! I have to help Merry!"  
  
Fidell didn't reply, but fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Pippin quickly pushed it open and ran into his friend's cell. As soon as he entered, Fidell was behind him, holding his arms behind his back and keeping him where he was. Nearby, Byrn held Iris and in front of the four of them, Merry was lying on his stomach on the ground, Will standing over him. However, everyone's attention had been interrupted when Pippin had shouted.  
  
"So, you decided to interfere?" Will snapped at the Took. He turned and strode over to him. Pippin's breath caught in his chest when he saw a dagger in the Man's hand. He tried to control his nerves. He had to be brave. . .This proved difficult, however, when Will snatched his hair and held the dagger to his throat. "I could kill you right here, Pippin. It would be very easy. One flick of this knife and you'd be dead. You know that, don't you?"  
  
Pippin gulped, nodding anxiously.  
  
Will snickered. "But, perhaps I will spare you, if you have a good enough reason to live. Enlighten me, young Hobbit. Why should I spare your life?"  
  
"I. . .I - " Pippin was lost for words. This caught him quite off guard. But he had to think of a reason. . . "I haven't done anything wrong!"  
  
Will's grin only grew. "Haven't you? You're perfect, then? Never lied? Never, ah. . .stolen?" With that word, his eyes narrowed and the pressure on Pippin's throat grew. "Never cheated?" And grew. "Never killed nobody?" And grew. "Never betrayed no one?" And grew. Pippin almost found it too dangerous to even breathe. Will was inches from his face now, waiting for an answer. "Well, Pippin? Have you?"  
  
"N-no," Pippin stammered, practically inaudible. The pressure loosened. "No, I haven't. I don't recall ever lying to anybody. The only thing I've stolen is a carrot from Farmer Maggot's field. I've never had anything to cheat on and - " Pippin glared at Will. "I've never killed anyone."  
  
"That leaves you with betrayal, Halfling," Will sneered.  
  
Pippin stopped. His heart was almost beating out of his chest. He couldn't tell Will the truth. Merry was only a few feet away, and watching him intently. Something suddenly dawned on him. Did Merry know? That look in his eyes. . .Pippin glanced at Iris. The look in hers. . .it matched his. They were telling him to tell Will the truth. The truth was so difficult. . .  
  
"I. . .I. . ." Pippin sighed, averting his eyes. "I. . .have betrayed someone."  
  
"Who?" Will asked.  
  
"Merry."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I. . .did something I shouldn't have. And I knew that it was wrong, but I did it anyway. And I never told him."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
Pippin hesitated. "I k-kissed Iris. Twice. Once in the forest after Byrn disappeared and again in the Prancing Pony, during a fight in the tavern."  
  
Will grinned again, applying more pressure again. "Ah, so you're not that innocent, eh? Then I have no reason to spare you - "  
  
"No! Leave him alone!" All eyes now turned to Merry, who was slowly getting to his feet. His voice was hoarse and he was holding his side. Will spun around to face him, an outraged glare painting his face. He stalked over to the injured Hobbit.  
  
"And why should I listen to you?" he snarled.  
  
"Because," Merry said, his voice low with anger, "it doesn't matter what he's done. All he wants to do is go home, and I should have let him. It's my own fault for keeping him here. He has nothing to do with this."  
  
"Of course he does," Will spat. "Who do you think we're going to blame for your death?"  
  
Merry stared. "W-what?"  
  
"You heard me," Will snapped. "Why do you think Byrn captured you in the first place? He was working with me. We're going to kill you and put your body somewhere for another Hobbit to find. Then, we'll hide with that one - " He nodded towards Pippin. " - in the Overbourn Marshes, until the reward for your murderer goes up to a wonderfully high amount." He went behind Merry, grabbing his forehead to force his head backwards and holding the dagger to his throat. "And you know what happens then? We turn him in. We collect the reward. And we leave him there, to face his sentence." Will's voice fell to a harsh whisper. "Do you know what that sentence will be, Merry?"  
  
Merry swallowed, breathing heavily. "Death."  
  
Will snickered. "Exactly. And we'll have enough money to pay off our debts, so that we won't have to live on our toes anymore. We won't have to worry."  
  
"But why us? What did we do?" Merry asked between breaths.  
  
"Nothing," Will replied. "You did nothing. However, you were just fortunate enough to be born into two of the richest families in the Shire. And you living in Buckland, it was inevitable that you'd have to cross the Ferry. So, it was a perfect way to capture you, and kill you and collect our reward. Satisfied?"  
  
"But why did you kidnap Pippin? What did that accomplish for you?"  
  
"That is simple. To throw you off. While you thought that Byrn was taking you to look for Pippin, in reality he was taking you here. Meanwhile, I told Pippin that we were going to rescue you from Iris and Byrn, saying that they were the real bad guys. I was going to bring him here from Tom Bombadil's, but unfortunately things went a bit sour. Enough talking. Your time is up, Merry."  
  
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A/N: Uh-oh, here come's trouble. Sorry. Anyway, please review! You know you want to. . . 


	19. Chapter 18 No Last Words?

Jenna hedgeworth: Thanks for your review. Yeah, I prefer not to do slash. I'm horrible at it, so I want to spare everyone from it. I didn't mean to make this a MS, or to be a bad author. Heh. . .oh, and Tom Bombadil is mean in this because I always thought he seemed a bit shifty in the books. I waiting for him to ambush the hobbits in the dark. So. . .I decided to make him evil. MUAH HAHA!  
  
Aelfgifu: I know, I know! I'm such a mean author! I was surprised it was such a good cliffhanger, I'm usually horrible at them! Well, I will be sure to stop by RatM and read it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. I'm a girl, for crying out loud! Tolkien wasn't a girl. . .I hope anyway. Hehe. . .  
  
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At these words, Will flung Merry onto the ground and turned to Byrn. "Give me Iris." He did. Will removed the rope that bound her wrists. She did not move, but stared at him coldly. He grinned. "You, my dear, shall take Merry into the barrow. You know what to do, don't you?" Iris was silent a moment, then nodded. "Good, good. Now, go."  
  
Iris hesitated a moment, staring down at Merry guiltily, not talking. Iris took the dagger from Will and placed it in her pocket. She picked up Merry, who didn't struggle, and walked out of the cell, brushing against Fidell as she did so. Fidell wasn't looking at anyone.  
  
"What are you doing?" Will spat at him suddenly. "Take Pippin with the other one." Fidell nodded and turned to take Pippin out of the room.  
  
Neither Fidell nor Pippin spoke as he was led down a dark stone hallway. It opened into a large circular room. The ground was dirt, not stone anymore, but the walls were the same moldy stone as the rest of this place. In the center of the room was what looked like a stone alter, and there was a hole in the ceiling nearby where a small ray of light was filtering in. Iris was already in the room with Merry, who was sitting on the alter, Iris busy binding his wrists. When she was finished, she stooped to pick up the extra rope. She straightened up again. Their eyes met.  
  
Pippin waited for Merry to either start yelling angrily at her, or at least say something. But neither spoke. The room was still with tension, but finally she turned and walked away. Byrn and Will now entered the room. Merry didn't look at them. His eyes were still locked on Iris. Pippin wanted to stamp on Fidell's foot and run back into his cell. He knew that they were going to make him stay in the room and watch Merry meet his doom. He couldn't bear it.  
  
Suddenly, Fidell released him and walked over to Merry. Pippin, so startled by this, didn't even think to run. Byrn soon replaced Fidell, however, and this was when Pip realized that he just lost his only chance to get away. He watched Merry and Fidell now. The boy pulled Merry to his feet, then said something to him in a low voice. Merry's face was emotionless.  
  
"All right, Meriadoc, are you ready?" Will snarled at him. Merry looked up at him indifferently. Will snickered. "What's wrong, Halfling? No last words?" Merry was silent. Pippin wished he would say something. Will shrugged and Iris handed him the dagger. He walked up to Merry carefully, almost as if he were planning his attack. Merry didn't even follow him with his eyes. He simply stood, staring at the ground, waiting.  
  
'Merry, why won't you speak?' Pippin thought desperately. He was going insane in this silence. And Will speaking was nothing to relieve it. He began fidgetting restlessly, shifting his weight from one side to the other, shuffling his feet, moving his wrists despite Byrn's hold on him.  
  
Suddenly, Iris ran forward and blocked Merry from Will. She stared angrily up at the Man. "You can't do this! It isn't right!" she said, her voice edged with desperation.  
  
"This coming from someone who helped plan the entire thing?" Will sneered. "The one we decided would warm up to one of the Hobbits, trick them into thinking they weren't in any danger? Have you told Merry the truth, Iris?"  
  
She didn't say anything. She glanced at Pippin, then Fidell, then finally turned to look at Merry. He stared at her intently, waiting for something. After a moment, Iris whirled back around. "I have told him the truth! And the truth is. . .I don't want a part in this anymore! You're nothing but a filthy murderer!" As she continued screaming insults and threats at Will, Fidell walked over and dragged her out of the way. She began to struggle against his hold. Will looked back at Merry.  
  
"So, you're sure there's nothing you want to say?"  
  
Merry glanced up at him. His eyes turned to Pippin. "I'm sorry, Pip. I - ARGH!" Before he had a chance to continue, Will plunged the dagger into his stomach. Merry, though his hands were bound, held his stomach best he could and sank to his knees, then fell onto his front. He was dead. For a moment, everything was completely still. Then, Iris tried to leap at Will, only to be held around the waist by Fidell.  
  
"I'll kill him!" Iris screamed angrily. "I'll kill him! You bastard! You - you - oh. . .God. . ." and she stopped struggling and sank to the floor, sobbing. Fidell kneeled behind her, trying to comfort her. Will grinned at her evilly.  
  
"There's nothing you can do, m'dear," he said. "I'm afraid your little Hobbit friend is dead. And now, to the Shire, so we can - "  
  
But suddenly, Merry rolled onto his back and swung his foot, hitting the back of Will's shins and sending the man onto his back. The dagger flew from his hands and landed a few feet away. Byrn, out of surprise, let go of Pippin's wrist. Pip wasn't foolish enough to waste his opportunity this time. He ran to Merry, untying the ropes that bound his friend's wrists. Iris and Fidell seemed to know exactly what to do. Iris ran and fetched the dropped dagger. Fidell produced another dagger out of his pocket and stood over Will, making sure he didn't move. Iris did the same for Byrn.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" Merry shouted to the others.  
  
Fidell looked harshly down at Will. "Sing."  
  
"What?" was Will's startled reply.  
  
"You know what I mean, now sing!"  
  
Will glared at the boy, then opened his mouth and sang:  
  
"Ho! Tom Bombadil! Tom Bombadillo! By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow! By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us! Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!"  
  
And part of the barrow crumbled away. The jolly face of Tom Bombadil appeared at the new exit, but once he saw the scene before him, quickly vanished before any sort of vengeance could be taken out on him. Fidell turned to the others. "Go! I'll make sure these two don't follow!"  
  
Iris, Pippin and Merry hurried out of the barrow and onto the green, grassy hills of the Barrow-downs. They waited a moment and then Fidell joined them. Pippin cheered at being finally free from Will and Byrn. Merry laughed and turned to Iris. She kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"I'm sorry to have done this to you, Merry," she said. "I do love you, I do. But I love you enough to know that it's time you and Pippin returned to the Shire. You don't belong with me. You understand?"  
  
"Yes, I realized that as well," Merry replied. "Perhaps I was a bit selfish to make Pippin stay all this time." He turned to his friend. "Still want to go home, Pip?"  
  
"Yes!" Pippin cried instantly. "More than anything!"  
  
"More than life?" Merry asked teasingly.  
  
Pippin rolled his eyes, then thought of something. "Merry. . .how did you survive? I thought Will stabbed you!"  
  
Merry grinned deviously. "That was Fidell's handiwork, Pip. When Iris brushed past him in the cell, he switched her dagger with this one." Merry held up the dagger Will had stabbed him with. "Hold out your hand, Pippin." Pippin did. Merry took the dagger, blade down, and slowly pushed it into Pippin's palm. The blade retracted into the handle. Pippin's eyes lit up in awe.  
  
"A fake knife!" he exclaimed. He looked up at Merry very seriously. "That was quite convincing dying that you pulled off in there. Had me worried, you did."  
  
Merry laughed again. "Well, Fidell came up to me when Will and Byrn came in and told me what he had done. He said to try and die as best I could so as to trick Will. I suppose I did overact it a bit." He looked into the sky thoughtfully, and sighed. "We should probably be off, Pip. It'll take at least four days to get back to the Shire."  
  
Iris gave each of them a hug. "I'll miss you, Pip," she whispered when she hugged Pippin. He blushed slightly and nodded. Fidell shook their hands and wished them the best. Merry held out the fake knife for him to take.  
  
"Hmm. . .why don't you keep it, Merry?" Fidell said. "I have no further use for it. Oh, and just so you know, it's only fake when you stab someone. Cutting is another story entirely." He winked. "Be glad Will didn't decide to cut your throat, Merry."  
  
Merry's face paled slightly, but he grinned.  
  
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A/N: Soo. . .the end then? I think not! I have a few more plans in store, and then it'll be over. I expect only one or two more chapters. Well, review this one before I do the next one! Danche! 


	20. Chapter 19 It Was Different Before

aelfgifu: Thanks for putting my story in your recs! And I would never kill Merry! I need him to just. . .I dunno, be Merry I suppose. :)  
  
HMP: Wow. . .that's a lot of reviews. So much to reply to. . .brain overloading. . .GAH! x_x Naw, I'm glad you liked the last three or four chapters so much. And btw, as it turns out, it wasn't Dom. It was Tom Felton. But hey, that's gotta be worth somethin'. Just makes me wonder how my friend could mistake Dom for Felton??  
  
Samwise the Strong: Yay! A new face! Umm. . .I actually have no idea when this takes place. It's just a random little fic. Place it wherever you like. Though it *could* work as AU (they see Sam and Frodo in the Old Forest at one point). But hey, whatever your imagination decides to do. . .  
  
A/N: Yay! I'm finally updating! This chapter will probably be short, as I'm a bit tired. But I'll try my best to make it worth the wait. *sweatdrop*  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own LotR. How many times must I tell you people?!  
  
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Pippin and Merry had now been traveling through the Old Forest for two days. According to the older hobbit, it would take a couple more before they reached the Shire again, but Pippin was less worried about getting home than he used to be. Will and Byrn would bother them no more. He knew Fidell and Iris would see to that. The only thing that concerned Pip now was Merry.  
  
His cousin had picked up two new habits. One of them was talking to himself. Pippin often found Merry muttering quietly as they walked through the forest. He had learned long ago not to bother Merry while he did this. It only irritated him. Though Pip did tend to wonder what Merry could possibly be talking about with himself. Pippin even tried it himself at one point, and found it a terrible bore. There was nothing to tell himself that he didn't already know.  
  
The other odd habit Merry had acquired was fiddling with Fidell's fake knife. He often took it out of his pocket, retracting the blade into the handle and back out again. He would stoop down and pick up sticks off of the trail, witling them down to matchsticks and then into nothing. Pippin watched this process curiously. Had his cousin possibly gone mad?  
  
That couldn't be the case. He didn't seem mad. When he spoke to Pippin, he spoke as he had always spoken. There was nothing new there. But talking to yourself and fidgeting with weapons weren't exactly normal actions, Pip knew.  
  
"Merry?" he said tentatively. His cousin's quiet ramblings ceased. Pip continued, "Maybe we should stop to rest? The sun's going down. It'll be dark soon."  
  
Merry nodded. "You're right." He pocketed the fake knife and walked off the path to a tall tree. Pippin followed, sitting down against the trunk. He looked over at Merry. He was witling again. Pippin sighed.  
  
"Merry?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Why don't you put that knife away? You're always fidgeting with it."  
  
"So? You always wear that scarf, but I never ask you to leave it at home, now do I?"  
  
Pippin hesitated. "Well, no. . .but you never talk to me anymore. You're always talking to yourself or cutting sticks down to nothing."  
  
"I'm talking to you right now, Pip. And I don't always talk to myself. Just. . .when I need to let my thoughts out."  
  
"Why not tell me your thoughts? You did before."  
  
"Before. . .it was different before. We've been through a lot, Pippin. I don't doubt it's changed us both."  
  
Pippin snorted. "It hasn't changed me one bit!"  
  
"Hasn't it?"  
  
"No."  
  
Merry shrugged, letting the matter drop. There was silence for a long moment. Pippin shifted uneasily, then let out a frustrated groan.  
  
"Come on, Merry! Tell me what you're thinking!"  
  
"No, Pip, you'll only be hurt by it."  
  
"I will not! I promise."  
  
Merry sighed. "All right, then. But don't say I didn't warn you. I was just thinking. . .I mean I've been thinking. . .why did Will and Byrn choose to kill me instead of you?"  
  
Pippin was quite taken aback, but stayed under control. "Would you have preferred it if they had chosen me?"  
  
"No! Of course not, Pip! I didn't mean it like that. I was just. . .wondering. Did they think you seemed like a more convincing criminal? It just. . .makes me wonder."  
  
"Me? A criminal? I should say not! Well. . .Farmer Maggot might have a different opinion. But I would never kill someone!"  
  
"Neither would I."  
  
"I don't think Will or Byrn realized that."  
  
"Perhaps not."  
  
"They didn't think their plan all the way through."  
  
"No they didn't."  
  
"I should say that we could come up with a better one."  
  
"You reckon so?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Alright then." And silence filled the air again. Pippin didn't mind as much this time, however. At least he had gotten Merry to talk to him for once. He sighed rather contentedly, and lay down, shutting his eyes.  
  
He had no idea how long he slept for. It could have been a minute, or perhaps an hour. At any rate, he was awoken by a voice. . .no, two voices. He opened his eyes and saw Merry standing in the Road, kneeling beside another figure that was laying down. Merry was trying to calm the other figure, who was muttering incoherently. Pippin stood and wandered curiously over to them. His breath caught in his throat. Lying on the Road, bloodied and bruised, was Fidell.  
  
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A/N: So I guess the adventure isn't over. Muah haha. . .I am an evil person. Now, off you go, off to review, if you please. Danche! 


	21. Chapter 20 No Time To Lose

HMP: I'm back, I'm back! It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? And yes, more adventure! Huzzah!  
  
Disclaimer: Merry and Pippin and Tom Bombadil and all the places named in this fic are not mine. They're Tolkien's.  
  
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Merry took off his jacket and placed it around Fidell's shoulders. The boy was now sitting against the tree Pip had been sleeping under. He was trembling violently, and his eyes were constantly looking about, as if expecting someone to jump out of the bushes and scare them to death.  
  
Pippin stood, taking Merry aside. "Is he alright? He looks terrible."  
  
Merry shrugged. "I dunno, Pip. He really doesn't look good. . ."  
  
"Merry?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Where. . .where do you suppose Iris is?"  
  
There was a long silence. Pip knew that Merry had been thinking about that already. Finally, he shook his head. "I dunno."  
  
And Merry walked back over to Fidell. Pip stayed where he was, watching as Merry tried talking to Fidell. The boy only shook his head, refusing to speak at all. He looked like he was terrified, though by what there was no knowing. Merry sat back a bit and stood, returning to Pip's side.  
  
"He doesn't want to talk," Merry said. "I think we should let him sleep for a while, and then try again in the morning."  
  
"What about home, Merry?"  
  
Merry cast him a dark sidelong glance. "What about it?" Merry brushed past him, gathering fallen branches for firewood. Pippin turned, his jaw almost dropped.  
  
"What do you MEAN, 'What about it'?!" Pip cried. "Merry, you said we could go home now! You still want to go home. . .don't you?"  
  
Merry sighed. "Of course I do, Pip, it's just I think Fidell needs our help right now. We can't just leave him. He's our friend."  
  
Pippin was at a loss for words. Here they were, two days from home, and Merry didn't care. They should help Fidell, that much was certain, but Pip didn't want to get involved in any more adventures. He'd had his fill for quite a long time. All he wanted now was to go home to a nice cozy fire and an ale.  
  
Merry fed the campfire and settled down beside Fidell. Pip lay down on the other side of Merry and turned over, away from the fire, pulling his jacket close around him. There, he drifted into a miserable sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
"Pip, get up." A sharp kick to his side pulled Pippin out of his already light slumber. He groaned, turning over to find Merry hovering over him. In a moment, the Brandybuck was gone. Pippin sat up groggily, staring across the dead fire to where Fidell sat, still wrapped in Merry's jacket. He looked a bit better, but not much. Pippin stood and went to where Merry was fixing breakfast.  
  
"Is he going to talk today?"  
  
Merry shrugged. "If he can. But we can't force anything out of him, Pip."  
  
"I know, I know."  
  
"You want me to talk. . .don't you?" came a raspy voice. The two hobbits looked over to see Fidell staring at them, listening to their conversation. Merry glanced at Pippin briefly.  
  
"Only if you would like to," he said. "We have all the time to wait for you."  
  
"Don't you want to go home?" Fidell asked.  
  
Pippin almost replied with an immediate "Yes!", but Merry cut him off. "Of course, but if you're in need, we'll be more than willing to help you first." Pippin's face fell. There was no way out of it now. Fidell sighed.  
  
"A few hours after you two left, Iris and I were on our way back to Bree. As far as we knew, Will and Byrn were still in the barrow where we left them. We stopped after it got dark and made a camp in a small cave." His eyes turned to meet Pippin's. "The same cave Will and I brought Pippin to after kidnapping him at the Prancing Pony. In the middle of the night, I woke up to the sound of shouting. Iris was awake and was arguing loudly with two people that I couldn't see. But I knew who they were. It wasn't long before daggers were drawn and I went to help Iris, but Byrn surprised me and bloodied me up pretty badly. I was rendered unconscious, and when I woke again, I was alone. I don't know what happened. I didn't know what to do, except to find you two. I travelled back to the barrow and then down the path you two left on. And here I am."  
  
Merry was silent for a moment. "They took Iris."  
  
Fidell nodded. "But I don't know where. Or why."  
  
"What are we supposed to do, then?" Pippin questioned. "We don't have any idea where to even begin to look."  
  
Merry stood and began to pace. Pippin hated when he paced. It meant he was planning something, and although under normal circumstances this would be an exciting thing, as Merry always thought of the best plans, Pippin now felt that it would only lead to further danger. Possibly even death, the way things were looking. He didn't want to die. He wasn't sure, however, if he could say the same for his cousin.  
  
After a moment, the pacing ceased. "There can only be one reason why Will and Byrn would take Iris. Revenge. And they've most likely taken her somewhere that neither Pippin or myself would even think to look. Fidell, you're going to have to think of every place they could have possibly gone to, and we'll simply have to check them all."  
  
"By the time we reach her, Mer, she could be -" Pip began to protest.  
  
"Dead?!" Merry snapped suddenly, rounding on him. "I know that, Pippin, but at the moment there's nothing else we can do, unless you would like to think of a better idea!"  
  
Pippin shrank back under his friend's harsh glare. "N-no. Sorry."  
  
Merry's face softened. "No, I'm sorry, Pip. I didn't mean to yell at you." He sighed. "Well, we better get started. There's no time to lose."  
  
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A/N: An update, an update, a real update!! Aren't you proud of me? *sounds of no one reading any longer* Aw shucks. . .Well, if anyone does happen to cross by this story, please leave a review so I'll know that I'm not sitting here, telling myself a story. . . 


	22. Chapter 21 And He Cried for his Despair

Mint Sauce: Well, I'm glad you finally reviewed, so thanks! Umm. . .actually, to be completely honest, I don't know what the ending is yet. -.- ;; Yes, I know, it's sad. lol, and yes, Merry is quite weird in this story.  
  
Pippi: Hey! Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like my story! It's okay, we all get hyper, I know how it is. And I don't think I'm an AMAZING writer. . . .but hey, if the boot fits! hehe ^_^  
  
Lessien-Took: Hey. Thanks for your review. I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Can't write that much description. Trust me. I've tried. It struggled.  
  
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It had been four days since Fidell had turned up at Merry and Pippin's camp. And Pippin was more homesick now than he had been four days ago. They had been so close, oh so close, to going home. Why did more trouble have to start up? What had Pippin done wrong?  
  
Well, he had done plenty of things wrong in his lifetime, but nothing he thought was deserving of this! Being kept out in the wilderness for so long was taking its toll on him, and he thought he might go hysterical if he didn't go home soon. At this point, all he wanted was a soft bed and his mum. He thought that to be rather childish, but it was the truth. He wanted her to hold him like she did when he was little, and tell him a story, or sing him a song, or let him help her make a loaf of bread. He wanted her to tuck him into bed after lighting a fire for him, and kiss his forehead good-night, and then sit and talk nonsense to him until he fell asleep. The thought of it made him want to cry. He felt so alone.  
  
There were a few things he wanted from Merry as well. He wanted Merry to talk to him, and listen to him, and laugh with him, like they used to. He remembered many nights in Buckland with Merry, sleeping out underneath the stars, or camping on the edge of the Old Forest, or fishing in the Brandywine. He remembered when Merry taught him to swim, and the time Merry took him for a ride on the ferry and Merry had saved a lass named Meridol from drowning. Pippin had always admired his older cousin. Everyone admired him.  
  
When Pippin had gotten older, Merry had allowed him to tag along with Merry and his friends to the inns for drinks. He could remember many a-night when they would go and have a grand time singing and dancing and talking. He remembered visits to his cousin Frodo's home at Bag End, and birthday parties, and Yule celebrations, and all of the adventures they had had in their lives. Stealing crops, chasing girls, singing at the Green Dragon, smoking. Pippin smiled. It had been Merry who had given him his first pipe. It had been a birthday present. And Pip carried it with him everywhere.  
  
'My pipe!' Pippin thought suddenly. He stopped walking and dug into his inside shirt pocket. It wasn't there. His heart sank. He knew he must have lost it somewhere. He had completely forgotten about it. His slow trudge began once more as a chill wind swept past. How horrible. And then, Pippin felt a drop on his nose. He stopped and squinted into the sky. The clouds were gray and menacing.  
  
"Merry!" Pippin called, still looking upwards. He heard his cousin and Fidell stop.  
  
"What is it, Pip?"  
  
"I think it's going to rain."  
  
There was a pause. Then, "So it is. Let's keep on, Pippin." And the footsteps began again. Pippin didn't move at first, but after a dull sigh, he followed the other two. The drop turned into a few more drops, and soon a light drizzle began. It was the annoying kind of drizzle, that gets in your eyes and is cold and wets your hair just enough so that it won't move from in front of your face. Pippin was getting very irritated. He'd had enough of this kind of weather. He wanted the sunny fields of the Shire, and no where else. When he got home – if he got home – he was never going to leave again. He promised himself that.  
  
The drizzle became stronger. His clothes began to feel soggy and stuck to his skin in a few places. He wanted to hit something.  
  
The rain became steadily stronger, until it was a right downpour. Pippin stopped and lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck for the hundredth time. His hair was so wet, it was dripping onto his face and stuck to the back of his neck and wouldn't let go. He was cold and tired and grumpy and hungry and a million other things. But most of all, he was sick. He knew he was sick. He could feel it. His nose was stuffed and his throat was sore. It had started the day before, but he hadn't mentioned it to Merry. It was most likely a cold, and there was nothing to be done for a cold. What was the point of being more of a burden if he could avoid it?  
  
Pippin cleared his throat and wiped his nose with his sleeve. It didn't do any good, as his sleeve was sopping wet from the rain.  
  
"Merry!" Pippin shouted above the storm.  
  
"What?!" was the reply.  
  
"Maybe we should stop for the night!"  
  
"We will once we find someplace to stop! Come on!"  
  
Pippin wanted to scream. He wanted to hit Merry a thousand times. And he wanted to cry. He wanted to curl into a ball and die. This was terrible.  
  
Pulling out a handkerchief that was still mostly dry, Pippin brought it to his nose. Unfortunately, the wind caught it and it was blown out of his hand. With a groan of frustration, Pippin turned around to retrieve it. And stopped. His eyes went wide in fear.  
  
Standing only ten feet from him, staring with a wild glint in his eye, was Will. Pippin was sure of it. Pippin opened his mouth to yell to Merry, but no sound came out. He went to run, but his foot was stuck in a pile of muck. Frantic, he yanked at his caught foot. Will started towards him. Pippin pulled as hard as he could. His foot came loose and he turned and tried to run. The ground was slippery and wet, and he slid and skidded down the path. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw the man was only feet from him.  
  
"MERRY!!" The shout was loud and clear, but was followed by a loud gush of air as Pippin was tackled to the ground by Will. Pippin, now in a panic, flailed and kicked and struggled with all of his might. He was not going to be captured. Not again. He'd had enough of this. He tipped his head back as far as he could to look down the path. Merry and Fidell were nowhere to be seen. Desperation and fear flooded Pippin's brain. He had to get away. He looked back up at the man, who brought his hand down to cover Pippin's mouth. Seizing the chance, Pippin opened his mouth and bit down (hard) on Will's hand. The man released a shout and pulled his hand away, sitting up a bit. Pippin brought back his foot and slammed it over Will's jaw. The man was thrown backwards by the force and landed with a thud in the muddy dirt of the path. Pippin jumped up with no hesitation and took off down the path, desperate to find his friends.  
  
He ran and ran and ran, and did not look back. He felt he could run forever, if that's how long it took to be safe from people like Will. He spotted an alcove under a small grouping of trees just off the path and went towards it. If he didn't find Merry and Fidell, at least he could hide in the shelter of these trees until morning. And then, he could head home. He brightened at the thought of it. Perhaps it was all over for him at last.  
  
"Pippin!" Or not. Pippin stopped running. Merry had appeared at the opening of the shelter. A smile was on his face. Pippin was glad to see his friend smile, but he himself did not feel like doing the same.  
  
"I saw Will," he said.  
  
Merry's smile vanished. "What?"  
  
"Will. He was following us. He attacked me, but I got away."  
  
"Pippin, come here." Pippin listened. Merry brought him into the warm, lighted, rain-free shelter and sat him down. He looked Pippin over and, finding no serious injuries, sat back. "What happened?"  
  
"I stopped to take out my handkerchief, which I lost by the way, and it blew out of my hand, so I turned to get it and. . . .he was there."  
  
"Will?"  
  
"Yes. He was standing behind me, not more than ten feet. And so I turned and I tried to run, but my foot was stuck in the mud, so I yanked it out and ran, but it was slippery, and he caught me and tackled me and so I struggled, and I called out for you, Merry, but you and Fidell had gone and I was so scared that I was going to be captured again that I fought and fought and finally broke free and I ran as fast as I could to find you and. . . .and. . . ." Tears welled up in his eyes.  
  
"Pip?"  
  
"I can't stand this anymore, Merry! I can't take it! I want to go home!" And Pippin curled himself up into a ball and sobbed for his despair.  
  
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A/N: Well, I hope you liked this chapter. It just sort of came to me all of a sudden. Weird how things happen, eh? Oh, and for anyone here who has read "May It Be" (another story of mine) you'll notice that one of Pippin's memories parallels a memory of a character from that story. See if you can find it! ;-) Please review! 


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